God's light is so much more prevalent, bright, and good than anyone seems to realize.
As God opens the eyes of a person, they become able to receive more of his light. As they see the world in this new increment of God's light, they see more of the potential of all things, experiencing a tremendous increase in the desire they have to see all things become more like God knows they could be. They will do much more than they previously would in order to help bring it to pass.
A person filled with God's light does not just more clearly see the potential in all things, but also the actuality. Part of that actuality is how many things are worse than they seem. In following their desire to help all things become more like God knows they could be, they will diligently attempt to help others see more of how things are worse than they seem. This is generally experienced as unpleasant by others.
Another part of the actuality that a person filled with God's light sees more clearly is how many things are better than they seem. The person will do what they can to help others see the good that they do not yet see. It might surprise you to hear that this, too, is generally experienced as unpleasant by others.
Why would anyone ignore, resist, or reject a person's argument that someone or something is much better than previously perceived? Because any exposure to what is presently beyond us causes the same reaction--whether it is exposure to greater evil or greater good than we previously perceived.
You can be just as overwhelmed by extreme love as you can extreme hatred, and your reaction might be much more similar than you would expect. The same goes for joy and sorrow, and many other pairings.
This similarity only differentiates as you become more like God. This is why people like Moses could comfortably stand in the presence of God, while even the 73 best people out of perhaps a million or more could not.
The duties of a priest include declaring to others what is good, what is evil, what is valuable, what is worthless, and the differences in degree among them all.
There are so many people who possess some facet of godliness far beyond what they realize, and all people possess the potential for godliness far beyond any limit that they presently imagine. The reason for both is because no one has taught them about holiness. If they knew God better than they do, they would realize his goodness far beyond any present limit to their imagination, and you cannot be exposed to more of God's goodness without seeing greater potential and actuality in all people.
This morning I saw a video where an unassuming man shocks everyone in a barbershop by singing an amazing rendition of an already amazing original song. If you have eyes to see, you will notice how the spirit brought by the sincere demonstration of this man's gift brings everyone to silence. The episode cuts away the prior environment, which flows back in as he ends the song, as if a mighty wind were blowing back a volume of water, or a stand of tall grass, which returns to how it was once the wind ceases.
Imagine if you could sing like this man, but you did so so infrequently that even your friends had no idea. Imagine if could develop the ability to sing like this, but you didn't bother because you had no idea of your potential, or because you did not know how valuable it was to others, and therefore never bothered.
If I could sing like that, I wouldn't be able to for very long, because I would quickly wear out my voice by not resting. I would sing by myself, and I would sing around my family. I would sing during all my duties in the day, and I would go out of my way to seek out and sing to those who were suffering, to bring them comfort. I would use the gift to bring more light, beauty, and joy into this world than would otherwise be here to the greatest of my ability.
I am confident about that because while I don't sing like this man does, God has given me other gifts, and I pour out my life every day in the use of those gifts. I would not have it any other way, because I know that a fullness of meaning and joy can't be had any other way. These include both gifts and uses of them that are or can be seen by others, and many things that aren't or can't be seen by others. And all of them bring light into this world that would not otherwise be here.
These gifts are like money in a birthday card. A child is excited by the money, but the real gift is what they decide to spend it on. Too many of you are like children who think the money is the gift, never spend it on anything, and wake up one morning to find it is lost, stolen, or rendered worthless by the passage of time.
All of you--each and every one of you--have the ability to find and develop your godly potential in ways seen and unseen by others, dance to the song in your heart, and make this world more like heaven. Some of you already do, and have no idea of the value of who you are and what you do in the eyes of God. Too many of you withhold the light you already know you have, depriving yourself and others of tremendous joy. Let's all resolve to do something about that.