Life here on Earth is organized and ruled by the presence of light, the first of God's creations.
Light allows us to more fully experience the amazing world around us.
Light can come from natural sources like the Sun, stars, lightning, fire, and even bioluminescent
creatures like fireflies or jellyfish. It can also come from artificial sources like lightbulbs,
fireworks, or other man-made objects. But what is light? Light is extremely small
waves of electromagnetic energy traveling in a straight line. These waves of light energy are
the fastest known thing in our universe, moving about 180,000 miles per second. We can classify
items into three categories based on whether or not light waves can pass through them. T
hese three categories are transparent, translucent, and opaque. Items that allow
light to easily pass through are transparent. The most obvious example of an object with
transparency is glass. You can clearly see items through a transparent object. Other examples of
objects with transparency include air and water, both of which allow light to pass through easily.
The next category is translucent. Translucent items allow sunlight to pass through,
but not clear details. These items are sometimes referred to as semi-transparent.
Some examples of translucent objects are a frosted shower door, a tinted window, or a cloud.
Most paper is considered translucent. Hold up a
piece of paper toward a light. You see how the light shows through the paper?
Opaque items make up the last category. As you may have guessed, opaque items do not allow any light
to shine through. Instead, light waves bounce off these objects. Wood, metal, and concrete are all
examples of opaque items. The walls of your house and the wooden blinds on a window are both opaque.
They are constructed so that sunlight cannot shine directly through them into your house.
Opaque items create distinct shadows in bright light. These shadows have formed when an opaque
object blocks light rays. The light rays that go past the edges of the object make the outline
of the shadow. The closer an object is to a light source, the larger its shadow will be.
As the object moves away from the light source, the shadow grows smaller because the object
blocks fewer of the light rays. Light is an amazing gift. It allows us to see and
appreciate God's beautiful creations. Light is what gives our world color. It's no wonder that
so much of our history, literature, music, and religion revolve around light and its symbolism.
It's even a part of our daily word usage. Have you ever heard someone referred to as the "light of my
life" or as a "guiding light"? Maybe you've heard that someone sees a "light at the end
of the tunnel" after a difficult time, or got the "green light" to go ahead with a project.
At night when you fall asleep, your parents might say you are "out like a light". And when
you are going somewhere in a jiffy, you might not know that jiffy is an official
measurement! A jiffy is the amount of time it takes light to travel one centimeter.
In the end, our Savior Jesus Christ is the best source of light in our lives. He said,
"I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness,
but shall have the light of life."