“Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.” Genesis 1:3

And There Was Light

I’m going to give myself a talking-to in this writing. I need to do it. I trust that the Holy Spirit is leading as I ponder.

I was watching a movie set in 1920’s England. For a long while into the story, every scene took place indoors. The rooms were rather dark, having only the earliest electricity to dimly power the few lamps. The rooms were painted dark maroon, the furnishings were dark, the carpets and drapes heavy. I said to myself, how do these people manage to read the books they always hold open on their laps? How do they sit at their tiny desks in their dark corners writing letters when there is no light shining on them? Why didn’t they all crowd the windows to do their sewing and mending instead of sitting perched, straight-backed, on the edge of a couch cushion?

I didn’t know how dismal it all felt until one scene suddenly shifted to outdoors. The burst of sunlight on the characters was nearly blinding in its beauty. The grasses were green, the skies blue. Someone rode by on a bicycle. A dog was barking in the distance. People smiled. Even I, sitting in my living room chair, could feel the joy of the brightness.

I wanted to jump up and cheer, “Finally! They have broken free of the darkness, the dullness, the dimness.” My heart felt full, free, and happy.

I think about that contrast. I normally tend to the melancholy side, and it doesn’t take much to drag me deep down within myself. This is a dull place, without the light of the Lord. It’s just like the moon some mornings—obscured by clouds, barely discernible in the early sky—until it breaks forth, and spreads its brightness over the earth, making silhouettes of trees and fences, and giving the early birds their song.

I need to choose the Light that waits just on the other side of the door to my inner person. Open the door, Self, and walk out. Choose this.There is no call for being somber and gloomy. If I feel like thinking deep thoughts, then think about our great God. Think about His beauty, His kindness, His plans, His creation. Ponder His Word and the riches of knowing Him. Express thankfulness for His protection and provision. Enjoy the knowledge that I am adopted into His family, a daughter of the King of the universe.

There is every reason for me to rejoice in the Light. May my heart burst forth in joy and praise that He has called me into that Light. Let the scales fall off my eyes, that I may see clearly and walk through life with the same confidence and peace I would have if I could see that Jesus Himself was physically beside me—for He surely is. “…I will be with you…” (Isaiah 43:2).

Great God and Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, I desire to keep my eyes on You. Enlarge my vision until I see You and others more than I see myself. Help me to choose to walk in the Light every day. Amen.