December 5: The Guiding Light

December 5:

From the time I was little, the dark and I were never good friends.  In fact, I was terrified of it.  I blame this irrational fear of the dark on my over-active imagination. For example, whenever I had to go downstairs to retrieve something from the basement, I made sure that I put every single light on, and I hurtled the steps as quickly as possible to make sure that whatever I imagined was chasing me would not catch me. Likewise, I always hated night games because I could never enjoy them.  I was always terrified of what or who would emerge from the bushes or trees. Don’t even get me started on horror movies.

The worst, however, was when I had to stay overnight at Grandpa and Grandma B's house.  When that happened, I usually was assigned my mom's old room, and my brother was assigned my uncle's old room.  In theory, this doesn't sound so bad, but the problem was that the only light switch in the room was actually a pull cord in the middle of the room. In order to shut the light off, I had to leave the safe zone of the bed.  It was my own moral dilemma.  Once the cord was pulled, I dived under the protective shield of the chenille bedspread. This practice developed into a habit that I have to this day.

In order to go to sleep, I always swath my head with the covers, leaving a small breathing hole. For some odd reason, I feel soothed and safe from all harm when I am in my cocoon. It's "dark-management" that works for me and allows me drift off to sleep.

When we moved out to the country three years ago, one of things I had to get used to was the pervasive dark. Having been a city slicker all my life, I had grown used to, and reliant on, street lights to guide my way. 

On one of the first nights after we moved, I got up in the middle of the night to get a drink of water.  Unfortunately, this proved to be a difficult task because I literally could not see my hand in front of my face. The dark was just so DARK. I ended up face-planting a wall as I was making my way to the kitchen.  It was not my finest moment.

Over time, my chokehold fear of the dark has disappeared. I have grown to love the peace and solitude of country nights. Mild insomnia usually has me wandering the house one or two times per night.  As a consequence, one of my favorite times to venture through the house is in the middle of the night during a full moon. Since we have no window coverings (who needs them in the country?), the light easily guides my path and casts a soft glow on the trees and wildlife that roam through the yard.  Rather than be afraid, I feel comforted that I am able to see so clearly without being detected.

The light gives me confidence.

It seems I am not the only one. This was true of Abram as well in Genesis 15:1-6

1. Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.”

2 But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth. 3 You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.”

4 Then the Lord said to him, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.” 5 Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”

6 And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.

The darkness of worry and disappointment had caused Abram to lose sight of what was most important - God's Plan - which included not only Abram's life but the future of mankind. Once Abram followed God's directive to look up versus keep his eyes downcast, his whole perspective changed. In short, Abram's (Abraham's) confidence and faith grew and bloomed in the warmth and direction of the light.

The fear of the unknown is what makes the darkness so scary and overwhelming. The light makes everything clear; there is no mystery or ambiguity. Since God is light, there is no shadow of a doubt that all associated with the light is good, beneficial, and perfect.  In light, there is no darkness; the two cannot co-exist. Thus, light and dark are just like faith and fear. Where one is, the other cannot be. 

"The LORD is my light and my salvation - so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from anger, so why should I tremble?" (Psalm 27:1).

Even though I still put myself to sleep by pulling the covers over my head, the dark no longer is the boss of me.  Even when it is a new moon and there is no light to guide my way, I am aware of the boundaries and know that light is available whenever I want and need it.  The same is true of the light that is God, the Father. What a comfort and blessing!

"In that wonderful day, you will sing: 'Thank the LORD! Praise His name! Tell the nations what He has done  Let them know how mighty He is!'" (Isaiah 12: 4).

Challenge: Let someone go in front of you today. Nearly every day we encounter a situation where we are required to wait in line. It can often be a frustrating and tedious situation that causes people to become irritable and impatient. Being patient and letting someone go first makes that person’s day a little better, and is simply a considerate gesture.