Piercing Light

Driving home one night, I was caught off guard by the brightness of the moon. There were no clouds, I was driving down country roads. The darkness was evident, but the thickness of the darkness, made the brightness of the moon shine even stronger. I wasn't so concerned with the darkness as I was with how much of a contrast the moon was to it. It was like just this bright, beaming light, that brought such hope and peace in the midst of the darkness.

I couldn't help but be reminded of our Light in the darkness. No matter how dark or messy this world may get, we have a Light that shines in the darkness. A Light, a Hope that never grows dim. Times are changing. Times are interesting right now. But, what if we stayed fixed and focused on our Light in the midst of darkness? What if we pressed into, became more enamored with, remained fixed on, sat with, and abided in Him? Not only do we have this great Light and Hope to hold onto, as Christ-followers, we must be lights in the darkness as well. If He is Light and we want to be like Him, we must be light too. Our light requires the Power source. Our light requires us to be plugged into, immersed in Him to operate well. To make a difference. Without Him, we are like a dimly lit candle at the end of its wick, easily blown out by the slightest breeze. Oh but to be like the bright moon reflecting the Sun's light. Steadfast contrast. Confident in our Light, because it isn't us, but Him in us. Confident to stand in the darkness as winds blow, because He sustains us, He is our Power and Light source.

As a Christ-follower, our lives should be so contrast from the world's. You're either enveloped in the covering of darkness or you oppose it. There is no in between. We must make the daily choice of how we want our lives to look. Do we want to fit in with the darkness or live a life that looks like Christ's? Live a life that goes against social normalcy and pierces the darkness or choose to be swallowed by the darkness? A Kingdom oriented person doesn't fit into the world's box they try to force everyone to fit in. We should make people question what we have, why we're so bright in dark times, what makes us different? I think asking the Lord these hard questions and ask trusted mentors/friends who you know will speak honestly, rather than emotionally agreeing with you is vital. Asking things like, "are there any parts of my life that look more like the world than the Lord?" "Is there any Fruit of the Spirit that I need to improve on?" (the answer to this one is always yes... but which one can you really dive into working on. Which one would you say you need the most improvement on currently?). Over and over again, Jesus broke the "rules of the world" (social norms) to honor, glorify, and respect the Kingdom.

The Beatitudes in Matthew 5 and the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 show how we are to be different from the world. What life looks like as a follower of Christ. Jesus reminds his disciples in John 15:18- 19, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you."

We must break agreeance with the idea that everyone will love us if we were called to be out of the world. People don't like the light revealing them in the darkness. People don't like being told they're wrong. They need to change. They need a Savior. People content in darkness, hate those who oppose it. I think of someone who just woke up and someone turns on the light or exposes them to the sunlight outside by opening a window. The person who just woke up often sighs, death glares, and is frustrated. They were comfortable in the dark. How uncomfortable is it to be woken up by the light? To be exposed to the light after remaining in the dark for so long? Your Light, Christ in you should make the dark uncomfortable. You should change the atmosphere of the darkness around you, because when you enter those spaces, the Light in you, Christ, should pierce through the thickness of the dark.

"You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

-Matthew 5:14-16