Passages like this one often cause us to frantically reevaluate our lives: Are we "doing enough for God" to let our light shine and reach the world? What does it really mean to let our light shine? Jesus gives us a perfect, clear analogy in the previous verse: No one lights a candle, and then hides it where its light cannot be seen (Matt. 5:15). He does not say that we are to produce that light, nor that we must take it to every corner of the world; He simply tells us not to hide it.
The things that can hide our light are far more serious than natural timidity or fear. Anything that comes between us and God - any iniquity regarded in our hearts, any clinging to self - can become the bushel basket that makes our light useless.
When we are truly emptied of self, the light can shine forth with the brightness of God's Son - even though we, like Moses, may be completely unaware of what others see (Ex. 34:29).
All Scripture references from KJV. Commentary ©2011 Hitchcock Family Ministry. Unaltered text may be reproduced freely without financial gain. Original commentary and Scripture song available at http://www.freescripturesongs.org/let-your-light-so-shine.