As a kid, totem poles always fascinated me. The word totem means a natural object or animal believed by a person or culture to have spiritual or cultural significance. A totem pole is a collection of such images, carved on a wooden pole, and tells a story or legend that is important for the tribe or village in which they were placed. People, birds, and other animals are the popular images that were placed on each totem pole. In Ketchikan, Alaska, there is a park that is full of totem poles that were part of the Tlingit culture. Most ancient cultures shared the important truths and traditions of that culture by means of stories. Before writing was the means of recording such values this was one way the tribes of the Pacific Northwest taught the values and traditions important to them.
Most have heard the adage that a picture is worth a thousand words, meaning a single image can convey in simple fashion what many words would take. We understand that complex ideas can often be effectively shared and remembered by a single image. We don’t use totem poles today, or maybe we do but in a different fashion. Think of images that represent a brand or lifestyle, such as an apple with bite taken out of it, or a hammer and sickle, or a flag with stars and stripes. In a sense those are all totems, lifting up something important for whomever understands such symbols. As Christians, we do the same thing with the image of a cross, to remember and explain the theological significance of God’s love as revealed in the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ.
Even more important for each of us is what people see in you and me. Such images are imprinted on the minds of family, friends, and strangers alike as they decide who we are by how we live or touch their lives. It is something worth remembering. When Jesus said we are to let our light shine, that is what he was talking about, as each of us is like an image that others see and remember.
We are not inanimate objects of stone or wood but filled with the breath of life and God’s presence in how we live. As part of God’s family, we would hopefully reflect his love more than our selfishness and imperfections. And it is important to remember that others will see what they see, and so it makes sense that we think before we speak, remember whose we are before we act, and celebrate how the cross has given us a new shape and a new way to reveal to the world what is more important for us than anything else.
What is the most important thing you want others to remember and see in you? Hopefully it is something full of life, love, and the peace that has changed who we are. Daily remembering how God has shaped you into more than you could ever be on your own, just might change what light you choose to let shine!