Light in the Darkness

Children are afraid of the dark.  My little girls still sleep with a night light, and have legitimate fear about their closet and the dark corner of the room where it is located.  

I've noticed that when their "night light" is left on all day I really don't notice.  I can make their beds, pick up their toys and vacume their room and never really take note that the little light is still turned on.  However, at night when I push the switch to illuminate the pink shade that houses their light it burns brightly.

Light is best seen against the backdrop of darkness.

How much darkness are you experiencing this year?  Where are you purposing to put yourself in the presence of darkness, in order for your light to be seen?

Often I think we get caught protecting ourselves from the darkness and making sure we stay as far away from what feels dark to us as we can.  What a shame.  Your light will not shine very bright in a room fully lit up by other lights.

I sat next to a woman recently who knows great darkness.  There has been almost no context for her to experience light, and she asked the question, "how can I meet Jesus in this place?".  

To be able to walk into someone's darkness, knowing them and why their life feels so dark, and offer them light is a sacred joy.

By the same token, I am not "all light" and while I am thankful for the light that is in me, there are still dark corners in my own heart where light needs to be offered.  I am grateful for those who have loved me well and walked into my darkness to bring me a bit more of Jesus and His light.

 On the other side of this I can say that receiving light in the darkness is just as sacred of a joy. I suppose that in a sense almost all teenagers are in the dark. While I have many good friends and mentors who are sources of light for me, the one place that is most lacking of the light I need, I am legally required to spend seven hours a day at. Even for some it's not just dark at school, but consuming, I know the path of one life at home and one at school because I turned my light off at school. It's hard for me to truly see Christ at school in the darkness.

I hope that I can use the holiday somehow to shine at my school, and everywhere else. I hope that you too can feel others shine into your life and that you in turn can do the same.

 

 

Comments

[Megan Hodges]

Inspiring. :) Thanks Steven and Tracy. I love the words "sacred joy" and the truth of light shining at it brightest against darkness. Bringing the light of Christ into dark places to brighten them. To be the vessel in which Christ "creates context" for those in darkness to experience light. What a privilege and honor.

[Lib]

I love this and I love this song. It always gets me so pumped up!