The Richland Church of Christ

Blog 5.30.2022

The Path of Light

My boys love playing in the dark; I think all children do. It is mysterious, disorienting, and allows for a little more mischief. When the lights go off, there are shrieks of excitement. Then, they begin bumping into each other and flailing around in the dim light. It is fun for a time, but eventually, there is a minor injury, and the lights have to come on to solve the issue. Because of that reason, I am not a proponent of playing in the dark. The lighthearted play gets out of hand too quickly, and I must figure out what happened in the darkness, which is impossible because I don’t have night vision and can never be sure what transpired. Typically, I have to tell the boys, ““This is what happens when you play in the dark, it might be more fun, but someone will probably get hurt.””

I can resolve some of the injuries by introducing a tiny battery-powered flashlight. It is amazing how this small device allows for their creative juices to unfold and gives them the ability to avoid collisions in the darkness. I am also impressed by how a flashlight enables them to control their environment. No matter how dark their room might be, that tiny light gives them power over their surroundings. They are no longer hindered by their lack of sight; they can navigate in a way that is transformative.

The world we live in is dark. There is no denying that it is also apparent that this was not how God intended it when we spoke that everything was “very good at the end of His creative actions in the first narrative in Genesis. It is also no surprise that many people enjoy living in darkness. It is mysterious, disorienting, and allows for a little more mischief… for a time. The challenging part is so many people live in this darkness that they don’t even know how to find a light. If they could find the light, they would not know how to switch it on.

This is where God has been gracious to us. In the narrative of Nehemiah, after some Jews returned to Jerusalem after their exile, Levites stood recounting their history of God’s people. They retold the pattern of God working as the Israelites wandered through the desert.

Nehemiah 9:19 
“Because of your [God’s] great compassion you did not abandon them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take.”

God does not leave us to stumble around in the darkness. He does not resolve to let us trip over and harm each other. Instead, God gives direction and leadership to a wandering and disoriented group of people. In His great compassion, He provides a light that shines in the darkness.

John 8:12 
“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ““I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.””

It is no doubt that the life of Jesus is the path we are to take. We are to live like Him because he is the light by which we walk. In a disorienting and confused world, we need to grab hold of the Light. If we do, we might be surprised how much control and awareness the Light will provide us. Tragically, what we witness now is people attempting to fight darkness with more darkness. This can never be the solution. The only way to be surrounded by darkness is to be changed into a demonstration of the Light.

2 Corinthians 4:6-12 
“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. ⁷ But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸ We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ¹⁰ We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. ¹¹ For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. ¹² So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.” 

Take a moment to reflect on these words of Paul. The situation is not grand for those that hold the light. They will be hard-pressed, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down. However, the light will still be shining within them. I love how Paul writes this. We hold our lights in jars of clay. In this scenario, the light can only shine out of the mouth of the jar, a very limited opening. That is until the jar is crushed. It is at that moment the light can be visible for all to see. It is not until we live in a self-sacrificing way that the Light will be apparent to all. It is at this moment that “his life may be also revealed in our mortal body.””

Eventually, the darkness will lose its appeal. Maybe not for everyone, but for those who are seeking, a light will shine out of the darkness like a beacon of hope. And when people come searching, we should be ready to show them what true Light and Life really looks like. The path of Jesus, the path of Light.