If you pay close attention to the CCM scene, every once in a while you'll see a common theme start to show up in multiple releases. The NRT staff has affectionately named these #NRTrendz, and I can't help but notice a big one in our summer releases this year: light.
 
Jump started by Jon Bauer's The Light In Us releasing this June, the light themed albums are pouring in steadily: Jason Gray's Where The Light Gets In, Bread Of Stone's Hold The Light, Switchfoot's Where The Light Shines Through.

And then there's the songs that keep popping up: Dogs Of Peace's "He's The Light Of The World" and "Light Into The Darkness" and Manafest's new single with Trevor McNevan "Shine," for example. We can even backtrack to a few months ago when The Voice winner Jordan Smith put out his stunning debut single, "Stand In The Light."
 
It seems artists just can't get enough of this topic right now, and I'd like to suggest a few reasons for that.
 
First and foremost, I think it's because we're attracted to the light, because we long for light. It's been said that where the light is, darkness has to flee. Science even backs it up-- where there is light, there cannot also be dark. The two don't co-exist in the same place.

The reasons are too many and too difficult to go in-depth, but I think we all would agree that the world seems to be growing darker every day. Violence, hatred, death... it seems that darkness is peering down from every corner of life, doesn't it? We turn on the news only to find another heartbreaking story, another sad turn of events. And all we're really after is a little light to pierce the dark.

You can see it in the stories that go viral after a simple act of kindness: The fast-food people that stopped to pray for the lady in the drive-thru having a difficult day. The random stranger who left a huge tip for the hard-working waitress. The family who went out of their way to raise money for a sick friend.

In a world that sees bad news broadcasted every second of the day, we take these rare stories of good deeds as rays of light, cutting through the darkness and reminding us that there is still good in the word. We cling to these things because we long for light, and maybe singing about it will help us remember that light is possible, even on the darkest days.

As Jon Bauer reminds us with his new album, Christ is the Light in us. Wherever we go, we bring the light. All He asks is for us to shine His light into the darkness of this world. We weren't created to be statues of silence, keeping the good news locked inside like some well-kept secret. No, we were made to speak up, to tell His truth, to be Light in dark places. We have His hope, we have His light; maybe we should sing about it so the world will know.
 
Secondly, I think we sing so much about the light because we realize that no wound will heal until it sees the light, be it the Light of Christ or the light of community. I think there's this idea catching on that honesty and vulnerability are key to moving through a painful circumstance. We're finding out that being real with Christ and being real with others is a way-- the way-- to healing. We were never meant to do life alone, wrapping up our worst moments in pretty packages so we can fake a smile and say we're okay. We were made to be true, to open our broken hearts to those who love us and to say, "Yes, this is me. I am broken and I am struggling. Will you help me? Will you walk with me through this time? Can I let this ugly thing see the light, and will you not walk away? If I stop hiding, will you stay?" 

Maybe life is about learning to let other people in, not just to our best moments, but to our most painful ones too. Maybe it's about learning that Christ has already seen our worst moments and still He came for us, that He saw how broken we would feel and yet He could not love us more fiercely. Maybe life is about learning to be real with our brokenness and our wounds, learning to bring those things into the light and not hide from them anymore.
 
As Jason Gray says in his new album, "the wound is where the light gets in." And then there's Switchfoot, who would echo Jason a bit differently: "Your scars shine like dark stars / yeah your wounds are where the light shines through."
 
It really all comes down to what Jordan Smith wrote: "The greatest risk we'll ever take is by far to stand in the light and be seen as we are."
 
Isn't that what we all want: to be the truest version of ourselves with those we love, not having to bury the hard things away? I know it's what I want, and I'm betting if you allow yourself the space to be honest, you'll find it's what you want too.
 
So I leave you with this dual challenge: be the light, and allow the light to find you.
 
Keep shining His hope into the pitch black night, keep letting His light living in you shine through. It's the only way this crazy world will ever see the truth, and it's the only way we will be doing what He created us to do.

Keep allowing your wounds to see the light. It's not ever easy, and yes, it will hurt, but allowing others in to your brokenness is the way to healing. We don't get better by refusing to acknowledge we're hurt, and we don't fix things by denying they're there. We can't heal if we keep hiding, so yes, allow the light to find you. In doing that, you will find freedom you never thought possible. 

After all, the wound is where the light shines through.