The Unquenchable Brightness of Being

“A candle loses nothing of its light when lighting another,” according to the Lebanese-born poet, Kahlil Gibran. So it is with right-living people, says Solomon. As they walk in the ways of God, their wisdom rubs off on those around them. And the more they rub off, the shinier they get.

Have you ever been around a person like that? They just seem to glow brighter as they get older. You just love to be around them, no matter how old they get. Even when their physical body creaks and groans under the weight of age, you just know that being near them means you are going to catch some of the brightness of their being. And the more light they give off, the more unquenchable that light grows.

I’ve been around people whose wisdom seems to grow shinier with use, and those whose lives only grow duller with age. Of course, there are a lot of life-factors involved in who we turn out to be and how we run the final lap of our lives, but ending with an ever-increasing brightness of being requires walking hand-in-hand with Wisdom along the way.

King Solomon said, “Dear friend, take my advice; it will add years to your life.” (Proverbs 4:10, Message) My suspicion is that he was referring not so much to the length of one’s years, but the brightness of one’s life. Now I’ll leave the timing of my demise up to God, but between now and that fateful day, I’m going to edge a little closer to the Source of Wisdom because I’d rather die young and bright than old and dull.

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away”

Reflect and Apply: Chances are you know an older person who just seems to shine brighter with age. Take them out to lunch—or bring them their favorite meal if they can’t get out. Spend some time with them and ask them to share with you their top five life lessons. Make sure you thank them, and most of all, enfold their wisdom into your own character.