Sunday, February 03, 2008

Of Darkness & Light

This week someone gave me a flashlight. It's the smallest flashlight I've ever owned. About the size that it's perfect for a keychain.

Despite it's size, every night this week when I've needed to make the walk from my office upstairs to my room downstairs, trying not to disturb others by flipping on all the lights, it's provided the perfect amount of light. This small flashlight makes a big difference.

It illuminates obstacles. Reminds me where the staircase starts (always good to know!) And takes away the fear of the unknown shadows.

While during the day my flashlight sits on my desk unnoticed and unused, when the darkness settles I appreciate having this light by my side.

And this has gotten me thinking of how often do we wait until it gets dark in our lives before we appreciate the greatest gift that has ever been given to us? Christ. The light of the world.

Last night was a dark night and today was a dark day in my life. I witnessed the desperation of someone's hopelessness, the pain of prayers that seem to be going unanswered, and the side effects of living in a sin filled world. Yet in the midst of this darkness, I have come to have a further appreciation of the light that Christ brings to my life.

No it doesn't take away the darkness, but it does provide us with a safe place in the midst of it. A place where we can come to rest. A place we can come to refocus. And a place we can come to be refreshed.

Tonight I'm very thankful for that light.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hmmm!!!! Reminds me of my devotion, He'll Lead the Way, that is posted on the CBN.com website.

In it I wrote, "When walking in the dark a flashlight is very useful, otherwise we might run into something and fall. By simply following the light, every obstacle becomes visible. God’s Word is also like a flashlight that guides us."

Psalm 119:105 tells us,

“By His words we can see where we’re going; they throw a beam of light on our dark path.”(MSG)

Looks like you and I think on the same level as writers.

Byron