Bringing Light into the Darkness

I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. John 8:12

Have you ever found yourself in a prolonged season of darkness where feelings of doubt, anxiety, and loneliness grow stronger with each passing day? I think it’s safe to venture we all have!

At the beginning of each year, I recall saying something like, “This past year has stretched me in ways I didn’t think possible!” Maybe you feel the same. And maybe, like me, you also wonder how much more you can possibly be stretched.

I’ve been pondering this the past week. Here we are, the start of a new year again, and as I look back at 2024, I can’t help but say woah! A loved one battling addiction, a child with flared food sensitivities, another loved one in a building with an active shooter, a month lost due to illness, a fight to maintain hope and trust in God, a business begging to flourish, a spring full of flooding waters, a devastating calving season, a home with expensive repairs, and a toddler to potty train. Ok that last one was for giggles to lighten the mood, but the struggle is still real!

There were times I laid in bed not wanting to face the day. I didn’t want more bad news, heartache, stress, or discord. I wanted to evade the dark things creeping in. So, I pretended I could hide in the dark recesses of the room.

Seems like an oxymoron doesn’t it? I didn’t want to be surrounded by more darkness, so I hid in the dark?!? Hmmm.

I wonder how you would answer these questions from Ellie Holcomb’s devotional Fighting Words:

• “Why do you think it’s sometimes so hard to believe that light can overpower darkness?”
• “In what certain situations do you sometimes choose to dwell in the dark instead of walking in the light?

Perhaps the first question is due to exhaustion, repeated failure, habitual heartache, broken trust, or hearing the answer we didn’t want to hear yet another time. Hope equals risk, which can be downright scary. But we must continue to hope, no matter how small a seed, that light will penetrate even the darkest caverns of our souls.

There’s one word that caught my eye in the second question. CHOOSE. When do I choose to sit in the stink? I had to swallow some pride as God gave me a pretty clear three letter answer. SIN. As much as I tried to explain my away around it, refute it, and blame it on something else, my heart kept circling back to sin.

Where does sin hide? In the dark.

So why am I purposefully CHOOSING to dwell in the dark when I could turn my face toward heaven instead? I need to be reaching up, not down. I need to consider how much power God has verses how much I have. I need to rebuke the devil and tell him to bugger off. I need to learn to dance in the rain. I need to remember that just because I’m exhausted in every way possible doesn’t mean I can’t lift up a simple hallelujah or praise God.

I find this verse in 1 Corinthians 10:13 very encouraging, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

First, it acknowledges we are all going to be tempted at one point or another. No need to compare highlight reels, we’re all on the struggle bus.

Secondly, He wants to give us every chance to succeed, which is why He provides a way out of our temptation. Most likely, it won’t look like flashing neon signs. But it may look like doors closing, delays, the end of a relationship, repeated prompts from the Holy Spirit, etc. Or in my case, the sound of children’s laughter in another room, which reminds me they can often be the biggest source of God’s light in a dark and weary season.

Embracing this mindset doesn’t mean problems will magically be solved, the heartbreak will go away, the prodigal will return, or the sick will be healed. But it does mean building hope, accepting God is working even if we can’t see it, and letting the Holy Spirit fill us with peace.

Even if all we can offer is one small step towards the light at a time, it’s a start that will lead to a firm foundation.

Heavenly Father, We come to you hurting and seeking. Thank you for illuminating our paths and giving us promises of hope in your Holy Word. Empower us to boldly step out of the darkness and choose to seek You first. May we learn to lean into the presence of the Holy Spirit dwelling within to lift us up and carry us when life seems too heavy. And Lord, help us to look at those around us and see how we can shed Your light on them too. In Your name we pray, Amen.

Whatever your answers to the above questions might be, here is some additional encouragement:

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. Psalm 139: 7-12