Walking the tree lined drive, in the dark was not something I wanted to do. There I was, carrying my  luminary bags, with the rest of the group placing the bags. The goal was to line this entire 600 foot drive with luminaries from house to road. Standing at the road and looking back at the lights that now lit up our dark walk, singing "Go Light Your World" was such a powerful moment. A reminder that the light Jesus has placed inside each of us, when combined with others, changes the landscape.

As I turned to walk back to the main house I noticed a bag that had no light. I reached in to turn on the light but no light was inside of it. I began to weep over the this bag. I found a second bag. In all on the way, I found 6 bags like these. My heart was being pulled out of my chest. As I looked back down the drive, so many lights were there pushing back the darkness, showing us the way to go. These bags in my hand were given the same opportunity but missed. 

I had come to this retreat looking for a word from God, what I was given were empty bags. Bags that were designed to hold light and let the light shine out of them. These bags were not doing what thier creator designed them for.  They were set out among all the rest. They looked the same as the rest. The difference was only visible in the darkness.

When sharing my "take away" from this weekend, I will hold up an empty bag. For I will allow the light of Jesus to shine in me, through me in the midst of the darkness we live in. Showing others the love, hope and life with Jesus within you. We all have a calling God crafted us for. As for me, I will not be an empty bag.