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Essay: "Sources of Strength"

by Shawn Montgomery
When I was a small child, I found the broken pieces of a mirror. I tried to find all the pieces and put them together, but it was not possible, so I kept only the largest piece. And by scratching it on a stone I made it round. I began to play with it as a toy and became fascinated by the fact that I could reflect light into dark places where the sun would never shine in deep holes and crevices and dark closets. It became a game for me to get light into the most inaccessible places I could find. I kept the little mirror and as I went about my growing up, I would take it out in idle moments and continue the challenge of the game. As I became a man, I grew to understand that this was not just a child's game but a metaphor for what I might do with my life. I came to understand that I am the source of light, but lightÂ--truth, understanding, and knowledge. It is there, and it will only shine in the dark places I reflect it. I am a fragment of a mirror whose design and shape I do not know. Nevertheless, with what I have I can reflect light into the dark places of this world into the black places in the hearts of people, and change some things in some people. Perhaps others may see and do likewise. This is the "sources of strength" I have.