Light > Darkness

On a family trip to Mammoth Cave, the guide turned out the lights. We were hundreds of feet below the Earth’s surface and far from the entrance. No ambient light filtered through. This was utter darkness, pitch black. My eyes eventually gave up trying to adjust.

Until the guide lit a match. A single match. That was all it took. And suddenly the dark wasn’t dark anymore.  When there is even the smallest bit of light, we no longer call it darkness. Even when there are shadows, as long as there is even a dim light, we call it light.  Because that’s the thing about light – it’s greater than darkness.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.”

John‬ ‭1:5

Sometimes this world around us feels about as pitch black as that cave.  Whether it’s terrible things we hear about on the news, hard times friends encounter, or situations that reach right into our own homes and our own hearts, sometimes the darkness overwhelms us and threatens to swallow up the light.

In response to our fears, the Bible says, Fear not.  “Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day.  Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday” (Psalm 91:5-6).  We belong to the God who made both light and darkness.  The darkness isn’t threatening to Him and doesn’t overwhelm Him and can never overcome the light of His glory.  So fear not.

Have you ever noticed that it doesn’t make any difference to a candle whether the lights are turned on or not?  But oh what a difference it makes to us that the candle is shining when the lights are turned out! The candle is no different, but its light is made more noticeable by the darkness around it.  Candles aren’t afraid of the dark.

If I’m perfectly honest, there are times when I’m afraid of the dark. There are times I feel like the wind is blowing hard and my light is just about out. That’s when I have a tendency to want to hide my light. I want to cover it up, put a basket over it so it will be safe. Jesus talked about that – He said, “You are the light of the world… Don’t hide your light under a basket!” (Matthew 5:14-15). He knows it takes courage to keep your light on a stand, to keep shining in a world that wants to snuff you out.

So God promises to protect flickering candles (Isaiah 42:3) and He knows we need help. This is why He sent the Helper – “What looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:3-4). The unquenchable light of God in us cannot be snuffed out, no matter how hard the wind blows, no matter how deep the darkness. So take courage.

The darkness is disappearing and the true light is already shining. 1 John 2:8

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The bed isn’t made. The clean laundry has been sitting in the basket for three days. There’s still that one pan on the stove, waiting to be washed. It’s the tail end of a full day, a full week, a full month. What I began writing a week ago is an open tab and an unfinished sentence.

Jesus says, Walk with me here. Walk with me while you make the bed. While you fold the laundry and while you wrangle the kids. While you’re in the car and at your job. This is the path of righteousness.

The path of righteousness sounds like it should be a walk through a meadow on the mountain heights. Your path may go there, but you can be sure that no one ever got to the mountaintop without climbing the mountain.

The Christian life is not one of instant downloads. It’s the day in and day out that sanctifies us. It’s our steady, stubborn desire to see our lives transformed until His life and power pervade each part. The easy parts, the hard parts, even the mundane parts.

Psalm 16:11 says, “You make known to me the path of life.” Maybe it’s as simple as showing us how to navigate the life we already have with Him.

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.   Matthew 11:28-30

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(There’s more. After I finished writing this and clearing up for the night, I went up to my room and found Jesus had been there. He made the bed and folded the laundry. He arranged the shoes in my closet. He left love notes on the bathroom sink. There is so much grace, so much more than we can ever really grasp.)

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