When I was a little girl I was afraid of the dark. I always did that run-and-jump straight into my bed so that my feet never came near the bottom edge where the darkness lurked underneath. Surely, there was something that could have reached out to grab my leg and pull me under. I was certain to have none of it. But if I made it safely to my bed, tucked fully under the covers, with only my face peeking out, then I was safe for the night. But even then, shadows had a way of playing mischief on the walls of my room causing me wild imaginations. And sometimes I'd find my way into my parents bed before the light of day came. It was the same room with the same furniture and the same fixtures in the daylight that it was at night. But that didn't settle my fears. For darkness, especially alone, is a scary place to be. I much prefer the light. Light... radiant, brilliant, bright, shining, warm, luminous, energetic. Light dispels darkness. Especially having the light on my side... a flashlight in hand makes me feel a bit more powerful in the middle of the dark. Because I have the ability to shine it in any direction illuminating whatever causes me fear. And that's just physical darkness. When it comes to our emotions, darkness has a way of taking over all too quickly if we don't know how to grab onto a spiritual flashlight. But Jesus said to His disciples... "My light will shine for you just a little longer. Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going. Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light.” John 12:35-36 NLT Jesus came to this earth knowing that it had become engulfed in darkness when sin entered the world in the Garden of Eden. So He came as the Light of the World to help us find our way. This is actually how the disciple John describes Jesus in his gospel... In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. John 1:4-5 It's not only that the the darkness did not understand Him as light... but the people who lived in darkness did not eagerly accept Him, nor perceive what He offered. Many preferred He not shine His light into their darkness when it illuminated their sinful past. For that would cause them to feel shame. But that is not why Jesus came. Rather the light was to lead us out of our shame and darkness and to free us from the bondage of sin. This takes some adjustment to fully comprehend. Just as our eyes dilate walking from a dark movie theatre into the bright sunlight, so our soul must adjust to the brilliance of God's light. At first it may seem too much, squinting and shielding our eyes. But if we let the warmth of His light penetrate, soon we will adjust to understand how He shone it to show us a better way to live. Not only that, He said if we put our trust in Him we then could also become children of the light. for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light... for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true. And try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Ephesians 5:8-10 Jesus placed inside of us spiritual flashlights when He made us children of light, that we may now walk with confidence in this world, shaking off fear and condemnation no longer living in the dark. Those things that used to cause us to do the run-and-jump trying to clear them before they could grab us, should longer frighten us. For we can now more clearly see that they are simply shadows in the light of a true Savior. And we no longer have to hide from our past with the covers pulled up around our face. Nor must we fear the shadows as they playing mischief on the walls of our mind causing wild imaginations of what might go wrong in our future. Because once we embrace the full light we will realize that the way out is so much better than staying in our own darkness. But it takes making daily changes to the way we live. Paul encouraged us in this... Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. Philippians 2:14-16 Living in the light truly means there is less to trip and stumble over because we can now see the obstacles in front of us more clearly. It doesn't mean a life without trouble. For all life has it's share of that. But it means that we can see our way better. We can breath easier knowing that we have hope illuminating the path and a Savior to guide us. We have a future that is brighter than what we could do for ourselves in the darkness. Word of God train me today... To embrace the light and trust in You to lead me on a right path in life. To live my life in the light, finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.
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January 2019
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