Light Into Darkness

How timely to be studying 1 John in this season of Advent.  When the days are short and dark and the twinkle of lights illumines houses and trees.

…God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.  If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice 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 cleanses us from all sin.

These words have me asking questions of myself, have me pondering where the light and darkness lie within me:

What parts of my life are dark and not light? 

What things do I seek to keep hidden, rather than be exposed?  What thoughts and feelings am I allowing myself to ruminate on, despite the fact that they do not acknowledge God as king?

See, by nature I obsess.  I think things through again and again.  Then one more time, just for good measure.  I worry.  I give room to thoughts that do not trust God as King of my life.  And I find that it’s easy to keep these things hidden.  Outward action necessitates a quick correction, because my brokeness is readily evident.  But, my thoughts, those are harder to combat because no one know them unless I speak them.

It makes me grateful for friends who welcome vulnerability and ask me again and again about my thoughts because they know I need it.  They’re calling into the light those things that are in darkness.

The battle is heavy.  Thoughts are a hard thing to combat and so often I give up and give in.

Long bus rides with little ones give space and time for my mind to go wherever I will it.  I try and be disciplined, to redirect untrusting thoughts.  But, I often fail or decide to let them roam.

But, the words of  Ephesians 5:8-14 are beginning to change the way I think about these thoughts:

For you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.  Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them, for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret.  But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.  For this reason it says, “Awake, sleeper; and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on  you.”

But now you are light in the Lord.  Walk as children of Light.

Those words, that structure say it all:  We have been taken from an identity of darkness and placed in an identity of light.  We have been placed in Jesus and called His, identified as those exuding His light.  From there we are called to live a life that overflows in His light. 

The identity precedes the action.

I find that as I think of this, it changes the motivation for submitting thoughts to the Lord.  Rather than an attempt to tell myself to stop, to pull myself up by my bootstraps and exude light so that I will be seen as light, it flips things on its head.  I am already light.  And my life is lived from there.

And all over in scripture, the light is shining into darkness:

Isaiah 9:2

The people who walk in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.

The candles, the glow of Christmas lights, are reminding of the reason that we celebrate this season: that Light came into darkness.

He’s been shining light into darkness from the beginning:

2 Corinthians 4:6

For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

The very God who at creation brought light into the darkness is the same God who came down as Light Himself to transform the darkness here.  And that very God shines light into our hearts to reveal to us the beauty of Himself, as revealed in Jesus.

It’s an overflowing, continuing, transforming sort of light. 

Creation: light into darkness by the power of His word.

Incarnation: Light of the World descending into darkness here.

Illumination: light shining into our hearts, making the glory of the Father known, through the work of the Son.

Transformation: trusting His work on the cross, made His children of light.  Being made more like Him, we are His light-bearers.

Proclamation: His light in us overflowing to point others back to the Light.

Again and again, the juxtaposition of light and dark…

We read an Advent reading as roommates, and the author describes a story from a visit to some caves.  A guided tour through the caves results in learning about eye-less fish that lived in the water in the caves.  But, the words of the guide strike me, just as they did the author of that day’s reading: “’Why grow eyes when you only live in darkness?’”

The author continues and she’s speaking the truth, growing my thoughts about light and dark:

They didn’t know any better.  Their world was dark.  There was no need to see.

I think the only thing darker than darkness, is not knowing you’re in the darkness.  Stumbling around this earth unaware of the light that could be warming you, that could be lighting your way.

And I’m feeling this deeply.  These past few weeks have seen darkness more intimately.  I’ve walked in and out of  homes where darkness if present.  Past and present addiction exist.  Broken relationships abound.  Verbal and emotional abuse.  Crisis.  Weapons.  Lack of food.  A family on the edge of homelessness.

The darkness weighs heavy.  My heart hurts for the brokeness I see.

But, I see it. 

Because of the work of Jesus, because of the Light of the World who came not only into this world, but has taken up residence in me, I see.  He gives me His eyes to see the difference between dark and light and to know that what these moms and dads and little people and I all need is Him.  His light.

What grace, to see the darkness for what it is. 

Because we have seen the Light.

So may I,  and all of us, this Christmas Eve think on the great Light we have seen.  May our knowledge of His creation, Incarnation, illumination, transformation, and proclamation bring us to our knees, as it did the shepherds and wise men so long ago.  And as we experience the darkness this season, seeing long, dark, days and the brokenness within us and around us, may we worship the one who has given us eyes to see, by showing us Himself: the Light.