Absorbing Light, Reflecting Grace
There’s an amazing creature off the North American west coast known as the crystal jellyfish. Most of us hear "jellyfish" and think ouch, but this particular jelly has changed the world, and not because of its sting.
The crystal jellyfish is delicate, almost entirely transparent, and easy to miss as it dances along in the water. Yet inside this nearly invisible body is something extraordinary: a fluorescent protein that absorbs ultraviolet light and re-emits it as a visible green glow. In other words, absorbs light in order to shine.
This tiny glow became one of the most important discoveries in modern medicine. Scientists realized that the green glowing protein (known as GFP) works like a biological highlighter pen. Once injected, this light can show them the growth of cancer cells or can map neurons in the brain. A simple little glow from a fragile little jellyfish, but it reveals the hidden things that it touches and helps others toward healing.
And it all starts with the light it absorbs.
That’s the heart of Psalm 84.
The psalmist longs to dwell with God, not for a quick visit, but for deep connection. That kind of dwelling changes us, and not just us, but everything we touch.
Bishop Dwayne White explained, “What we dwell ON and who we dwell IN affects how we dwell among others.”
The crystal jellyfish is simply about absorbing light, but without even trying, it radiates beauty. The glow reveals things previously unseen bringing a new light that offers healing.
In the same way, we don’t produce light on our own. When we spend time in God's presence, in the Word, seeking Him in prayer, and resting in quiet stillness, we absorb His character, His peace, His power. And then…we glow.
Not because we’re trying harder, but because we’ve been close.
We weren’t made to generate light on our own. We’re reflectors, not sources. And when the world gets dark, the light we’ve absorbed begins to show. Peace when it’s chaotic. Clarity when it’s confusing. Love when it’s least expected. And just like that glowing protein reveals sickness so places can be healed, God's light in us can reveal brokenness, not to shame, but to heal.
That glow isn’t just for us. It touches everything we encounter. Things that had been hidden, in us and in the world, start to come into the light. Places of sin or trauma can be discovered. God’s love can make it visible and offer hope and healing.
The Holy Spirit in us makes the glow possible. He brings power and peace, intimacy and truth. Dwelling with God is not isolation, it’s identification. We rest in Him, and in doing so, we carry His presence into the world. The crystal jellyfish doesn’t hoard the light. It reflects it. And so do we.
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So You Wanna Glow …
• Think of a time when being in God’s presence changed your response to a situation or person. What shifted?
• Like the crystal jellyfish, what kind of “light” do you feel you’ve absorbed from time with God that others might notice? (Peace, joy, patience, clarity?)
• Are there practical ways you can create space this week to dwell more deeply in His presence (Scripture, prayer, stillness, worship)? What might that look like?