A Shining Light

"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." I John 1:5-7

I remember as a young child being scared of the dark. If I had to get up in the night, I would lay there and tell myself there was nothing to be afraid of. Then when I finally got up enough nerve, I would leap from the bed. I had to jump because I was sure there was something under my bed that would reach out and grab my legs.

Now as a mother, I have children who experience the same fears.  It is natural not to like darkness. There's something scary about the unknown. 

After reading this passage, I wonder if perhaps our dislike of darkness is because our Creator is light himself. We are drawn to Him who made us.  We are attracted to the light of the One who knows the unknown and can guide us on our way.

The light and darkness spoken of in this passage is spiritual. Spiritual darkness is far more scary than physical darkness. Spiritual darkness leads to eternal death.  With physical darkness we can light a candle, turn on a lamp, or flip a switch and the light chases the dark shadows away.  The solution for spiritual darkness is God himself.  "God is light."  However, He is not a switch we can turn on at will.  He has to fill our being in order to dispel the spiritual darkness that surrounds us.  When Christ dwells in us we become "lights" to the world showing the way to God.

I'm grateful for parents who let the light of Jesus shine in their lives so that I could find my way to Him.  As a mother, my prayer today is that God's light will shine through me so my children will see clearly the path that leads to eternal life.