This Little Light of Mine

The first church I remember going to was an Assembly of God church. I was not yet in 1st grade. I remember lots of music and loud singing and talking in tongues. I remember after church crafts. I remember pretending to talk in tongues with the other kids so we could go out and play.

I remember a song that taught me that I had a light that was always inside me that would always be there because it was my light and it was there to shine ME and protect me and the bad stuff could never snuff it out because I said so.

I think this was the beginning of my belief in The Path of Joy even though I had no real thoughts of it as a philosophy or anything except that it just was and I knew it.

Imagine a group of preschoolers standing around singing NO as loud as we could, stomping our little feet, and blowing (like blowing out a candle).

This Little Light of Mine by Harry Dixon Loes in the 1920s

This little light of mine
I’m going to let it shine
Oh, this little light of mine
I’m going to let it shine

This little light of mine
I’m going to let it shine
Let it shine, all the time, let it shine

All around the neighborhood
I’m going to let it shine
All around the neighborhood
I’m going to let it shine
All around the neighborhood

I’m going to let it shine
Let it shine, all the time, let it shine.
Hide it under a bushel? No!
I’m going to let it shine

Hide it under a bushel? No!
I’m going to let it shine
Hide it under a bushel? No!
I’m going to let it shine
Let it shine, all the time, let it shine.

Don’t let Satan [blow] it out!
I’m going to let it shine
Don’t let Satan [blow] it out!
I’m going to let it shine
Don’t let Satan [blow] it out!
I’m going to let it shine
Let it shine, all the time, let it shine

(The only understanding I had of satan was that it was bad stuff – bad people – bad thoughts…)

I already knew you shouldn’t try to make anything into something it’s not meant to be because even if it doesn’t die, it will never be happy from my hummingbird memory. When that memory was added to This Little Light of Mine my spiritual journey truly began.

I may not have been able to put it into words or even understand what was happening, I just knew that I was me and nothing would ever be able to snuff out my light. Dim or bright my light would always shine inside me and protect me.

Let your light protect you. There is no bad stuff that can snuff out your light. Only you have any real power over you.