Light the World | Sara Lyn Baril

Listen to the 2017 version of Light the World, sung by my son Benson and America’s Got Talent Finalist, Evie Clair. It was an amazing experience to record with Evie and create this video. We will love their family forever for the opportunity.

And here’s a version of Light the World, rerecorded by my son Benson and my daughter, Taylee, recorded for the Calgary Canada Mission Facebook page. This was recorded in December of 2022, just a few days before Benson left on his mission to Northern Florida. It was fun to have them do this together.

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Lyrics

Light The World

So many wait for the light of day,
Searching for truth; who will show them the way?
As those who heed the Savior’s call,
We’ll show His love and bring light to all.

In a world where there’s darkness,
In a world with night,
We can offer His peace,
We can lead with His light
Sharing all that is good
As we teach as Christ would.
We can light the world.

So many wait for someone to care;
Maybe they wonder if God’s even there.
As those who’ve found the peace that Christ brings
We’ll be his hands at all times, in all things.

In a world where there’s suffering,
We can ease the pain.
Lift the burdens we see and
Bring hope once again.
Sharing all that is good,
As we serve as Christ would.
We can light the world.

The pure love of Christ will change darkness to light
And answer each cry and each prayer.
It heals every wound and dries every tear.
When we act in His name, it’s as if He were here.

In a world where the lonely,
Seek to find one friend.
In a world where there’s heartache,
We’ll help sorrow end.
Sharing all that is good,
As we love as Christ would.
We can light the world.
Sharing all that is good,
As we live as Christ would.
We will light the world.

Story Behind the Song

This story really started when my son Benson and I made little video of my song, Light the World, on a whim. It was created to share the sheet music I had released just a few days beforehand. What I didn’t know was how the Lord was orchestrating some things in my life and the lives of many others over this song.

PART 1 – SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2017: We released the video, just after Benson got back from the General Priesthood Session and then appetizers at his grandparents afterwards. It was late. I had published the sheet music a day or two before, but had received dozens of messages that people wanted to HEAR it, so I figured I could bribe Benson to sing it. It took a little convincing, but we posted the video at about 11:00pm and then headed to bed.

I had written Light the World during the Christmas season of 2016 – the debut of the #LighttheWorld initiative for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I had every intention of finishing the song with sheet music, but we had such a busy season that I never could get to it. I thought I had missed the boat anyways.

PART 2 – SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2017: Our family had just finished watching the two Sunday sessions of General Conference and the YouTube screen on our TV automatically flipped to some random videos. We just so happened to click on Evie Clair’s America’s Got Talent audition video. I had heard of this girl, but I didn’t know anything about her, except that her father had passed away during the show. I found myself in tears as I watched the audition. Then I watched a couple more of her performing that season. Then, for some reason, the spirit overwhelmed me that I needed to send my music to her. So I ran upstairs and sent a message through the contact form on her website. I even mentioned that I had written a song called Light the World. I thought in my head, wouldn’t it be cool if one day Benson could sing this song with her. She’s so talented and both of these kids have dealt with some tough stuff in their lives. I sent off the message without another thought about that, and then received a message promptly back saying that they would love to receive my music and where to send it.

Then, later that evening a terrible tragedy happened in Las Vegas. The shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival.

The Light the World video of Benson singing had been published 24 hours before with only a small handful of people being reached with it. However, the next morning I woke up to not just the normal trickle of little comments on my video and a couple of random shares and likes, it was literally in the hundreds. In fact, over the course of that week, Light the World had been viewed almost 500,000 times, reached almost 1 million people and was shared over 4000 times, with over 1000 comments! My music had never, in all of history, received that much attention.

I was so overwhelmed by what this song was doing and how it was affecting people, I cried out of gratitude pretty much that whole week. I had recently been praying for some very specific work that my music could do. I had also gone through a time of deep discouragement as well. In fact, that was one of the reasons I never finished Light the World the year before. I felt like I was always late to the party. But this seemed to be a message to me that the Lord was in the details and wanted me to continue. Not only did this song comfort thousands of people, but it was a reminder to me that the Lord cared about what I was doing. Even a first-responder from the shooting commented on my song and had been reminded that there was hope even in the most devastating events in history. This song was reaching all sorts of people and comforting them that there was still hope and good in the world.

PART 3 – TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2017: I received a specific comment on the Light the World video from a woman named Phoebe. She was tagging another woman named Hillary. The message read something like “You should get Evie and this kid together to record this song. Wouldn’t this be perfect?!” Later that day I received an email from Hillary, who was Evie Clair’s mom. (Phoebe, the woman commenting on my post, just happened to be Evie’s Aunt Phoebe, Hillary’s sister!) Later we realized that it was meant to be that our families connected to do this project. So meant to be that the Lord had me reach out first, thinking I was comforting their family with my music (which maybe I did), but then with Hillary contacting me back independently for another reason – a song recording of Light the World – it was concrete evidence to me that the Lord was orchestrating this project.

What I didn’t know when I published the sheet music for Light the World was that Hillary had been looking for a song that her daughter could record for the for the second year of #LighttheWorld to assist the Church with furthering their initiative. What I also didn’t know was that the Church was repeating the initiative, and would be for many years to come. I thought I had missed it, but Hillary knew it was ongoing and they needed a song!

So, I received another email from Hillary, who had connected that I was the same person that had just written to them about sending my music, and she asked when we could come to Arizona to do a recording and video of Light the World! Exactly two weeks later my husband Mark, and Benson and I were on a plane to do the project!

PART 4 – FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2017: When we arrived, it had been less than 6 weeks since Evie’s dad had passed away. The spirit was literally thick when we walked into their home. It was a reverent and beautiful place. Their family is incredible and it was such a blessing to meet them and be with them that weekend.

I had never had one of my songs used in a video before. The entire recording experience was surreal and the spirit was palpable. Benson had just finished 3 years of IVIG treatments the summer previously for his immune dysregulation issues and 14 years of challenges with his skin. Evie had just lost her dad. These two darling, brace-faced kids were lighting the world, despite all they had both been through. Their voices blended perfectly and everything went according to plan.

On December 3, 2017 the professional video of Light the World was released on Evie’s YouTube Channel just in time to support the initiative of year 2 of #LighttheWorld.

Since then, it has been downloaded and sung all over the world! Allie Gardener also published a Spanish version of it on her YouTube channel in 2018 and added video clips of her mission and the beautiful people of Mexico. Earlier that year our family had been to visit 3 wards in Playa del Carmen and do a fireside for the people there. We learned later that some of the people in the audience that day were people Allie knew from her mission.

Since then, Light the World has also done some good things in the Philippines and been part of some very specific miracles in Panama.

It’s hard to know how the Lord is working in our lives. The song Light the World was a message I felt strongly to write, yet I had no idea how these experiences would bless my life and increase my testimony that the Lord is ever so mindful of His children.

On the way home from Arizona after the recording, we were very, very tired. Besides recording sun up to sun down, and the kids learning the song together, we also hit an amusement park for some fun and a football game where Evie was singing the national anthem. All that was squeezed into only 2 days. We were also heading home to have Benson perform in a Stake fireside that evening and then receive his patriarchal blessing after that. It’s an understatement when I say it was a jam packed weekend!

My husband was literally asleep in the seat next to me seconds after the plane took off, but my adrenaline, however, took a little longer to wear off. So I listened to Light the World with my headphones on repeat about 20-30 times contemplating the whirlwind of that experience. As I listened, I looked towards the front of the plane at all the heads of people seated with us. The emotions were powerful as I felt of the great love God has for all of His children, and the opportunity that I have been given to share the knowledge of that love, specifically with my music. I smiled and kept hitting the play button as I contemplated the miracles in my life, and the lives of those I know and love, and was reminded that as we teach, share, live and love like Christ would, we can light the world!