You are a Light

I always get really weird when people give me compliments or say kind things to me. I usually don't make eye contact and I say "Thank You" in probably the most awkward way. Or I giggle uncomfortably. Or I probably blush and stumble upon the simplest of sentences. Accepting a compliment is a skill that I'm still working on, or it's more like  I'm going to start working on it.

Anyways, there's a kind phrase that I've heard more than once since school has begun and it baffles me every time I hear it.

"Marilyn, you are a light."

What?
Why?
How?

Have you seen me recently? I've absolutely been a wreck.

I feel unworthy of being called a light when I feel broken; when I feel like there is nothing but darkness inside of me and surrounding me.

And I know that those are just perceptions, but so often they feel so very real.

I have a difficult time recognizing why someone would call me a light in their life.
But then I think about the people who are a light in my life...

You are a light when you make others laugh.
You are a light when you whole heartedly laugh.
You are a light when you choose kind words.
You are a light when you choose honesty.
You are a light when you face darkness.
You are a light when you choose to see beyond the darkness.
You are a light when you choose to be vulnerable.
You are a light when you choose to be a refuge.
You are a light when you admit that things might not be okay but one day they will be.

You are a light when you choose to see the light in others.

You are a light when you choose to show grace. 

You are a light when you choose to love. 

You are a light when you choose to live life unapologetically. 

I don't realize that I can be a light when I don't feel like I am capable of being a light. Other people probably feel the same way about themselves. Actually, I know that other people feel the same way. I read this quote once that said when we believe that because we aren't perfect we can't be loved, it's like saying a broken window is incapable of letting sunlight in and warming a room. 

A broken window can still let light in. 

An imperfect and struggling person can still shine. 

Thank you for seeing the light in me, for believing that I am still capable of shining... Especially when I don't see it or believe it.  

Thank you for being a light in my life, for choosing to shine despite your darkness. Thank you for being a light, even if you don't think you are one.  

You are a light, continue to shine.