Fireflies

Last Friday night, I had one of the my favorite experiences in Tulsa, Oklahoma thus far. I headed to the Philbrook Museum of Art with one of my closest friends. We made our way to the back of the property, paid our seven dollar entry fee, and with lawn chairs in hand proceeded to walk into a picturesque summer night.

The museum plays movies on a large screen every Friday night during the month of July. If you have not been to the museum grounds, you need to take a walk through their grass with bare feet to fully comprehend the experience these movie nights provide. The grass is soft and perfect, the flowers were blooming, and the sun had set. Have you watched the movie, The Wedding Planner (yes, the one starring J-Lo)? Picture the "movie in the park" scene. All you need is a security guard named Burt, a bag of all brown M&M's and a slow dance, and the scene on the art museum lawn would be identical.  Needless to say, the scene was perfect. The only light was the one of the projector against the screen, or so I thought.

That particular evening, the museum was showing an old Humphrey Bogart film titled Beat the Devil. I couldn't tell you what the movie was about though. I was distracted for 95% of the film. I was surprised by the small number in attendance at the event. Looking around at blankets spread out and couples all around, we determined that the men in attendance were among the smartest in the city and that even a date with a stranger at this event would leave almost any girl in a state to fall hard and fast. Men, there are 3 weeks left in July. This might be your chance. You're welcome. Ladies, don't say I didn't warn you.

People watching, however, was not my only distraction. Before the film began, as I was looking around, I began to see little flickers of yellow light. Fireflies.

Looking back, I have memories of being a little girl and spending summer evenings out in the front yard. As soon as I saw that first flicker, I would run inside to grab a cup, probably one of the plastic ones I got with my kids meal during Sunday afternoon lunch out. The pursuit would then begin. I would follow the flickr, catch a firefly, and then let it go. I was too concerned about their well being to let them suffocate in my cup. Then I would begin the process all over again.

Last week, as I was sitting on the museum lawn reminiscing, I decided I needed to catch one. One flew close enough, and I caught it in my hands. I didn't even need a plastic Chili's cup.

I looked at it between the spaces in my fingers and it wasn't what I expected. It almost looked like a housefly. It was black and honestly kind of ugly. If I saw it flying around my head in the daylight, I probably would have tried to swat it away. I sat for a while and waited for it to light up, but it was a stubborn little lightning bug. It just sat there. It wouldn't light up until I let it fly away.

Call me crazy, but I think people are a lot like fireflies. It is easy to look at a mass of people and identify them to be just that. Each face becomes just another in the crowd. We don't think twice about the person who walks past us on the downtown sidewalk. For all we know, they are just like all the rest. Who are all these people though? I could walk past a world renowned author and not know it. Maybe we are missing the light.

Psalm 139:14 says, "I will praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made."

I think the Lord has put some kind of light in each of us. A light that is both wonderful and unique. Just like a firefly, that light might be more evident in certain settings than in others.

But whether or not others choose to notice it, the light is there and it is a part of who we are. We each have been given a set of unique talents, gifts, abilities, and character traits to live our lives to their fullest potential and bring the most praise to the Creator.

A firefly's light shines in the dark. Your light may shine on a stage in front of people or maybe it shines in a classroom full of students. Perhaps your light shines behind the scenes or maybe through conversations you have with others.

Whatever your light is, learn what it is, and learn where you shine to your fullest potential. I believe that no one is just a face in a crowd. The Lord only creates beautiful things. Yes, that means you, too.

Let your God-given light shine. The world won't be able to look away. The beauty and light of the Lord is something to be shared, captured, and shared once again with others.