Twilight and Twinkles

One recent evening, Jerry and I walked a bit later than we usually do. As we approached an area where we know deer hang out, we were watchful because we didn’t want to be caught between a doe and her fawns.

But that evening, we didn’t see any deer, but something else, instead.

“Oh, wow, look at that,” I said. Jerry stopped and turned. I pointed to a field. “Fireflies.”

In the twilight, hundreds of them twinkled randomly. It had been a long time since I saw so many. A smile eased across my face.

We stood in the street for a while and watched, both of us remembering with joy catching them in mason jars when we were kids.

Later, I discovered a few random facts while reading about fireflies.

If a field where fireflies live is paved over, they don’t go to another field. They simply fade away. That may be one reason why firefly populations are in decline.


They are unique. No other insect has light producing structures in their abdomen. This fact reminded me of a sign a friend gave me which bears a snippet of a children’s song.



“This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine . . .”

It’s a reminder that we also are unique and have special light producing structures.

Jesus said, “You are the light of the world” and “. . . let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14, 16).

God wants to use us to bring his light in dark places, and as Jerry has said, we let our lights shine; we don’t shine our lights. There’s a difference. Others are drawn to us as they see God at work in our lives and we share out of that well, but the opposite usually happens if we’re constantly blinding them with just our talk.

We all have to think about where we go, what we do, and how those actions might bring glory to God and how they might not. We may try to explain away certain things, but in the end, what we may be doing is making excuses.

To allow God to use us in bringing light, we may have to alter our actions. Believe me; I have had to alter mine. In fact, it is an ongoing, sometimes daily, process.


I wonder when God sees us, it’s a little like how Jerry and I saw the fireflies in that field that evening.

All over the world, He sees us twinkling in the darkness bringing joy to the Father’s heart.