Bioluminescent algae and Christmas Lights

I felt like I was walking on another planet for a few minutes while training for a combat mission in the Florida Panhandle. My small Ranger reconnaissance team had spent weeks preparing for this scout swimmer training mission. This highly challenging training mission was built entirely on stealth and surprise.

We selected a spot so far from the coast that no one on land would know this combat patrol was headed their way. The C130 aircraft flew my small six-man reconnaissance team dangerously close to the water’s surface. When we reached the designated drop zone, we cracked open the back hatch and pushed out our combat equipment in an inflatable rubber boat. We raced to parachute off the aircraft's ramp to land as close to the boat as possible.

Our team furiously swam to the Zodiac boat, where we ditched our parachutes and put on our kit. In total silence, we attached the boat motor, lined up the compass, and motored toward our designated target, well inside the Florida coast.

This mission was going almost too smoothly. Someone almost always goes wrong in a complex training mission with aircraft, boats, and warriors…. But not on this night. With incredible precision, we arrived at our precise location on the coast. But this is where the mission started to become exceptionally difficult.

The most challenging phase of this mission was avoiding the sentries patrolling the coastline. During this phase, we had to bury our boat and all its gear inland in a shallow grave, digging into the dunes just beyond the coast. This spot was selected to avoid detection and ensure we could find our boat and extract it to sea, where a naval vessel would be waiting to pick us up at the end of our mission.

Incredibly, we cleared the coastline without encountering any of the roving sentries. As quietly as possible, we gathered all our equipment into the Zodiac boat and made our way off the beach and toward the dunes. With only one small inland water channel left to cross, we were almost home free when that hot summer night lit up like the Virginia Beach Christmas light show!

The night exploded with light as soon as we dipped our first foot into the inland water channel. We all froze in fear and wonder as the water burst into light around our feet. I’ve never witnessed anything like this in my life. While carrying the heavy rubber boat and all the equipment on our shoulders, every step generated another wave of light for everyone on that beach. It was one of the strangest experiences of my life. While crossing that channel, I felt like I was walking on another planet. When my mind returned to planet Earth, I became convinced that I was hallucinating from lack of sleep.

Struggling to maintain stealth, I motioned to the rest of our team to ensure they saw the same thing I was seeing. Every motion in the water, no matter how slight, created light. The more severe the motion, the brighter and bigger the light became. Somehow, our feet created light every time they touched the water.

I've never conducted scientific research to understand bioluminescent algae. Nevertheless, this phenomenon continues to inspire me. There's something otherworldly about witnessing light that comes from a living organism. It reminds me of the kind of faith God desires for all His people.

Christmas lights draw energy from an external source, illuminating their surroundings. However, for those who belong to God, He dwells within us, urging us to shine with an inner light that transforms the world. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus encouraged His followers to let their light shine not just to decorate but to inspire goodness. By radiating our inner light through our deeds, we reflect God’s glory and attract others to Him. Embrace this call—let your light shine, spread kindness, and witness the transformation around you!

There are two specific challenges from his verse in Matthew 5:16. The first is for people to see your light. The bioluminescent algae were mesmerizing because the light came from within. The water was completely dark and perfectly still until I stepped into it. When I disturbed the water, the algae emitted light from within. There is something magnetic, almost hypnotizing, about seeing a light source in darkness. Jesus's first challenge is to allow our light to shine in the darkness.

The second challenge is to shine the light from within you so that people give credit to God in Heaven rather than to you. Most people driving around to see Christmas lights this week will be awed by the beauty those lights display. However, very few will consider the power company supplying the electricity for those lights.

When you go out of your way to serve someone who cannot repay you this week, people will be in awe of the way your light shines. When you have someone's attention because you've allowed your light to shine into the darkness, now you have this beautiful opportunity to point their attention to the one who gives you your source of energy.

Discover the chance to brighten the world around you this Christmas season! Look for ways to bring a little light to any darkness you encounter. Your kindness might touch someone in the same way that the beauty of bioluminescent algae has left an impression on me. In case you’re wondering… we pulled off the training mission without detection. However, it wasn’t the mission, but the feeling algae gave me that I’ll never forget.