"The One who is the true light, who gives light to
everyone, was coming into the world." John 1:9 NLT
John the Baptist was God's messenger to an
oppressed people, the Jews, in a spiritually destitute world, announcing that
His indescribable Gift, the long-awaited Messiah, was at hand. Over 2,000 years later, after a long
struggle, the Light of the World reached a desperately needy Sharon
Ganesh.
Her last name is that of a Hindu god known as
the elephant deity. Her paternal
grandfather was raised in a Hindu home.
He was a young boy when his father died, at which time he rejected their
religion because the caste system was abhorrent to him. He adopted Roman Catholicism. Sharon's parents followed Islam, although
very minimally. When she was five, her
father encouraged her to pray to God.
"How do I do that?" she asked.
"Just kneel down and talk to Him."
From that day forward, Sharon heeded her dad's instructions.
She recalled, "Throughout my life I developed a
relationship with God as my one true trusted Friend. That's how I saw Him. The God of the universe, way out there
somewhere was my Friend, my Confidant.
However, I still went through some very lonely and dark times in my
life… broken relationships, rejection, and lots of fear. My experience with the dark side was
primarily through the music I listened to.
I did not consider myself a Satanist, but I did listen to a lot of hard
rock, heavy metal."
The increasing oppression Sharon experienced
was very real, physical and terrifying as a result of what she had opened
herself to. "However, even through the
darkness, I knew that God was always with me.
There was an innate conviction in my heart, that if I did something bad,
there would be consequences. At that
time I didn't even know about the forgiveness of God."
The freedom of forgiveness is a unique treasure
of the Christian faith, purchased by Jesus' sacrificial death on our behalf.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive
our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9
Working in the entertainment industry since her
late 20's, Sharon felt as if she was in a black tunnel battling depression,
health issues, fear of the dark, and demonic harassment. Like a beacon in the midst of a storm, words
came from within…
"God please guide me down Your path and lead me
to Your light."
Sharon prayed that simple prayer daily for five
years! While vacationing in Los Angeles,
she felt God tugging at her heart to "find out more about Jesus."
A stunning confirmation was waiting when Sharon
came home to Toronto. Both her parents
had given their lives to Jesus Christ!
In June 2003, the pastor of the church they were attending told Sharon
to start reading the Bible in the book of John.
She came to John 8:12 where Jesus said,
"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me shall not walk in
darkness, but have the light of life."
"Wow!
What a revelation for me! Jesus
is the light! All along I was praying a
prayer that I never heard from anyone, to be guided to God's light…and
eventually found out that Jesus is God's light!
And if I follow Jesus, the Light, I won't be in that dark tunnel
anymore. I just remember looking up and
saying, "God, God, you did it…You guided me to Your light… Your Light is
Jesus!"
It was a stirring irony that Sharon appeared on
100 Huntley Street on December 23rd,
2013, the morning after "the nightmare before Christmas" — an ice storm that
left hundreds of thousands without power in Toronto, and damaged trees all over
southern Ontario. We prayed for those in
the dark and cold, wondering what to do about turkeys and Christmas dinner
plans, many scrambling to unplanned huddles with friends or neighbours, and in
some cases disconnected loved ones.
"Comfort and joy" no doubt was found in unexpected scenarios.
Sharon's parents didn't know the dramatic
darkness-to-light theme of their daughter's spiritual journey when they named
the Scarborough church her mom pastors — "The Light of the World." Dad also loves to teach the Word of God
there.
It was prophesied that Sharon would be involved
in missions. For eight years she has served
on staff with MissionFest Toronto, the largest missions conference in Central
Canada, celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2015! For the past four years she has been Executive
Director of an event that helps many men, women, and children find God's path
of service for them. "Let Your Light
Shine" (Matthew 5: 14-16) was the theme of MissionFest Toronto, April 4-5, 2014.
Sharon says, "Jesus is the Light of my life. I hope to be a light for others too."
