Painting white on white is actually painting barely tinted water on plain paper. Because our eyes understand, without being told, that what is deeper is darker and what is lighter is higher, we see this seashell’s slightly rounded shape. The whitest spots are called highlights. That’s because they are closer to the light source. Where there is a distinct line, the dark line looks darker because it is next to a lighter line. And the lightest lines look brighter because they are next to the darkest lines.
Our lives are like this seashell. When we go through hard experiences, disappointments, and failures; dark lines are drawn on our lives. But if we allow the Light of God to give us hope and faith and love, the next lines in our lives shine even brighter next to the dark ones. It is these experiences that shape our lives. There will be highlights, too. When God shines His Light like the radiance of the sun on a cloudless day, even the disappointments pale and we get a glint of the Son in our lives.
May we have many stories to share of God’s light in dark times that have shaped our lives for His purposes. Be ready to share these stories. God will use you to shine His light on others’ in their dark times.