"Carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the helpless, confused and torn
And hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world"
~Chris Rice, "Go Light Your World"
These are the lyrics that have forever been etched into the deepest creases of my spirit.
"Go Light Your World", a 2004 single by the American singer-songwriter Chris Rice, has landed its secure place among my all-time favorite songs. Though this song is generally considered to be a piece of contemporary Christian music, I feel that it can speak to and inspire people of all religions and backgrounds. This excerpt, the song's simple but elegant chorus, embodies the heart of the song's message by using an extended metaphor: Our candles are our spirits, and we have the power to inspire and influence others, to change their days, outlooks, maybe even lives.
I first came across this song two summers ago, at OASC (Ohio Association of Student Councils) summer workshop. Although I didn't know it at the time, this week turned out to be a big aha-moment-life-changing experience for me. Each night, we ended with a Closing, where all of us campers would gather cross-legged on the patio under a blanket of stars and sing OASC songs together from an inspirational songbook, and our staff members would sometimes give us short motivational speeches. The closing that I feel impacted me the most was Friday night. We sang Chris Rice's "Go Light Your World", all our imperfect voices blending together into one. Afterward, we each received a long white candle, and our staff members lit them for us. We carried them as we walked back to the dormitories, a path of flickering will-o'-the-wisps lighting up the night sky. It was a cool, breezy night, and we relit each other's candles whenever the wind blew them out.
Kindness, like fire, does not dwindle when given away. It only spreads. Lighting someone else's candle does not diminish the size of your own flame. But it does add another light to the night sky, another bright spirit, shining all its own. And chances are, that candle will go on to light many more, leaving a trail of flames in its wake. Just the same, giving someone a small act of kindness or love does not diminish what you own.
People often ask, "What is the meaning of life? What was I sent here to do?" I think Chris Rice has at least part of this thing figured out. We're here to light candles. So let us keep our own candles burning bright, shield them from the wind, and pass on the flame to others. Make us a beacon in darkest times; a thousand flames, woven together into constellations.
Oh haha to end things on a slightly lighter note, here's a (super adorable) picture of me from this summer's vacation so pretend like you guys care a lot—
