Speaking of Life 3012 | Shining Out of Darkness
Cara Garrity
Were you ever afraid of the dark? Many of us have had this fear at some point. Oftentimes, the darkness congers our nightmares, causing us to see things that are not there. Generally speaking, complete darkness can be disorienting. We feel more vulnerable in the dark because we cannot see the pitfalls, obstacles, and dangers in our path.
For several summers, I worked at a Christian camp that was based in a beautiful wooded area. My first summer, I made the unfortunate mistake of forgetting my flashlight one night. I had to walk the long path back to my cabin in the dark with the sounds of the woods around me. The path is easy to navigate by day, but at night… Let’s just say I became very acquainted with a large bush on the side of the path!
It is fitting that the Bible uses darkness as a symbol for separation from God. According to scripture, disconnection from Jesus causes us spiritual blindness, and we stumble through our lives like a person trying to navigate a dark, unfamiliar path. Spiritual darkness can cause the same kind of disorientation and vulnerability as we try to figure out the way forward in our lives. When we are in spiritual darkness, we struggle with our identity because we cannot see the One in whose image we were made.
The good news is that Jesus can find us in our darkness. Not only can he find us, but he has the power to chase away the dark because he is light. Notice what Paul said:
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:3-6
This week, Christians all over the world will be celebrating the transfiguration—an event where Jesus revealed his divinity by shining brighter than the sun. Jesus not only revealed that he is God, but he showed us the kind of God he is. He is pure light and in him there is no darkness. He is a powerful God, who uses his limitless strength to save, rescue, and redeem.
Jesus lives to chase away our spiritual darkness, and he has the power to make us children of light. And, Jesus will keep working until the entire world is filled with light.
Because Jesus shines, we will never again have to fear the dark.
I am Cara Garrity, Speaking of Life.
