For the past five weeks, I’ve been journeying through the Prayer of St. Francis, one line at a time.

This week, we come to:

“Where there is darkness, let me sow light.”

And interestingly, the lesson came through a conversation I wasn’t expecting.

Someone who describes himself as a fan of what I do asked me a question I’ve heard many times:

“How do you do it all?”

How do I manage my career, my business, my writing, my coaching, my community, my family, my travel… and still seem happy and excited about life?

He wasn’t satisfied with a simple answer.

He kept asking questions.

He wanted something practical.

And as I tried to explain it to him, something became clearer to me too.

Maybe the answer isn’t that I have figured out how to “do it all.”

Maybe it’s that I’ve become intentional about who I am.

I am a reader… So I read.

I am a writer…. So I write.

I am intentional…. So I make deliberate choices about how I spend my time and energy.

I value balance…. So I regularly check in on the different dimensions of my life.

I am a woman of faith…. So I pray, even when I don’t understand.

These things aren’t always easy.

I don’t always do them perfectly.

There are weeks when I’m overwhelmed.

There are days when things don’t get done.

There are seasons when one area of my life needs more attention than another.

But eventually, I return to the identity I’ve chosen.

Because identity influences action. 

I was reminded of something I learned from James Clear’s Atomic Habits: lasting change isn’t only about changing what we do. It is also about changing how we see ourselves.

Instead of saying: “I need to start reading.”

We begin to see ourselves as: “I am a reader.”

Instead of: “I need to exercise.”

We begin to say: “I am someone who takes care of my body.”

Instead of: “I need to become more intentional.”

We begin to live as: “I am an intentional woman.”

The action becomes evidence of the identity.

And over time, the identity makes the action feel less like something we’re forcing ourselves to do and more like something that is simply part of who we are.

 

And perhaps this is what it means to sow light.

Sometimes we think we need to have all the answers before we can help someone else.

But during this conversation, I realized that his questions were actually helping me see something more clearly.

He thought I was the one with the answers, but his questions became a light for me too.

And perhaps that’s how light works.

We don’t always know where it will come from – sometimes we are the ones carrying it, sometimes someone else shines it back on us.

And sometimes, one simple conversation illuminates something that was already there but hadn’t yet been clearly seen.

Scripture Tells Us

In Matthew 5:16:

“Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Our light isn’t meant to make us look extraordinary.

It’s meant to point beyond us.

And if something I’ve learned, experienced, or struggled through can help another person see their next step more clearly, then I want to share it.

Not because I have it all figured out.

But because I’ve learned something worth passing on.

Reflection

What do you believe about yourself?

And does that belief support the woman you are trying to become?

Instead of saying: “I need to…”

Try completing this sentence: “I am the kind of woman who…”

Then ask yourself:

What is one small action I can take this week that proves it?

Because sometimes the change we’re looking for begins with changing the story we tell ourselves about who we are.

 

Today, my prayer is simple:

Lord, where there is darkness, let me sow light.

Illuminate the places where I cannot yet see clearly.

Help me to recognize the gifts, strengths, and identities You have already placed within me.

And when my light can help someone else find their way, give me the courage to share it freely.

May I never forget that even a small light can make a difference in the darkness.

Amen.

Until next Saturday!

Love, Talisha ❤️