Light

"In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness, and under the shadow of death." - Luke 1:78-79

The summer I turned 9 I didn't get much sleep. I heard somewhere that if you said the devil's name repeatedly he would appear to you, and of course, as with anything we're forbidden to do, I couldn't get his name out of my head. So each night for about a month I would stay up watching TV because I was terrified that the devil would be waiting to grab me the moment I closed my eyes. I fought the sleep and struggled with the darkness but the moment the sun began to rise my body and my soul within it relaxed and I slipped into sleep as smoothly as butter melting on a saucepan. The sun in its glory and brilliance victoriously conquered all of my fears and shielded me from evil.

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about Jesus as the light of the world and comparing Him to the power of the rising of the sun. He is always referring to Himself as light, which has so many great qualities: it allows us to see things clearly, it gives us warmth, it gives us energy, etc. But there also is a great deal of confidence that comes from being in the light. All of a sudden, all we are is visible for all to see… no imperfections can remain hidden. We can feel great when we've got nothing to hide. I've also been thinking of how and when I've been in darkness. There have been moments in my life when I've been in the wrong and therefore I hide and keep my distance. There is a fear of being found out or put to shame and so we remain in the dark where we hope no one can see our dirtiness. I think that this is where Jesus really wants to be the light of the world for us, in those areas that need a light turned on, not so that we can be embarrassed or put on the spot, but so that the Lord can help us clean those places out and like a lighthouse, guide us out of darkness. Whenever I hear this verse from Luke I think back on that summer and how in God's great mercy, the night didn't last forever but He made the sun come out and defeat the darkness… and in the same way, I'd like to invite you to let the light of Christ shine within you, open every door and window so that His light can seep in and clear out all sin that needs to be forgiven, all grudges that take up way too much space, all anger that's eating away at you, and whatever else is destroying your soul. Yes, I know old habits die hard and that sometimes we have a harder time forgiving ourselves than others, but Jesus is the light of the world and whoever believes in Him He will not allow to live in darkness.

Today's Prayer:
Jesus, let Your light shine in me, through me, and out of me. Let Your light serve as fire to purge me of all my sins and imperfections, and bring me to be as pure as You. Banish every bit of darkness in my life and shine on me a light that can never be extinguished. In Your Name we pray, amen.