Years ago I saw the movie Akeelah and the Bee. The movie tells the story of a girl’s journey to reach the National Spelling Bee. And in the movie, Akeelah’s mentor shares a quote with her from “Marianne Williamson” that has stuck with me. It says:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God… We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us…”
This quote resonates with me because I fear having that light and doing nothing with it. And I don’t even mean something extravagant – like being “brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous.” I just mean, making a difference. In my home. In my workplace. Wherever I am. In simple ways – through a hug, a listening ear, a laugh. I don’t want to miss those opportunities because of busyness or laziness or selfishness.
Because those are moments that bring joy to our lives. And make a difference in others’ lives. And I miss those moments. Everyday, I miss those moments. For some reason or other. And my fear is that I’m missing too many of those. And my husband notices. And my son notices. And my co-workers notice. And one day, I’ll notice. And I’ll realize too much of my life has passed and I’ve done too little with my light. And I haven’t made a difference.