We have all experienced darkness. It’s a natural part of life’s rhythm. When the sun begins to go down, the light fades, and instead of the sun shining, the moon and stars begin to show their brightness. I love how God created night; even when it is time to rest, He provides light. He never intended us to live in darkness but in His light, and that gives me so much peace that even in moments that seem so dark, His light will always be there, even if it doesn’t happen right away.
In life, we will have seasons when we don’t understand something, and our immediate response will be to make sense of it or even fix it so it doesn’t seem so foreign. We want to shine a light that we create so it is no longer hidden from us, and then we know which step to take next. When I think about my story, I was never patient, and to this day, I have to work on slowing down and not jumping to the next right thing. When creating a children’s lesson on how God is near us, He gave me this visual to show the kids, but in the end, it was for me as well. Imagine you are hiking and decide to do it around sundown to experience the stars, but as you continue to walk on the trail, your natural sunlight begins to set behind the mountains. Do you turn back, or do you come prepared with a flashlight? You reach into your backpack and get the flashlight, but ultimately, you must point it not ahead of you to see far away but to see step by step where your footing is so you do not trip on rocks, sticks, or step in mud. Now, you are not so focused on what is ahead or even the scenery you enjoyed moments ago, but you are now making sure that on your continued hike, you are just taking it step by step to the destination you know and planned to get to. You’ve made the journey and can finally admire the glorious, dazzling stars filling the night air. But you only made it to this experience with your flashlight.
Our walk with Jesus sometimes requires us to walk in the dark and not see everything before us. We believe He has called us to journey and to strive to be prepared, but sometimes, He asks us to trust Him and embrace each step. He is our flashlight that guides our steps, ensuring we don’t get lost in the vision but focus on the purpose for which we are on this hike. He is the only one who can lead us out of darkness and into the light. We can brave the darkness and think we can do it on our own with our knowledge, but in darkness, we cannot see straight.
Jesus says, “I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12). I think that He wanted to encourage us in multiple ways, but one of them is that if we choose to follow Him, we do not need to know or worry about where our light will come from. He is within us, and when times of trial, doubt, and anxious thoughts try to creep in and make us feel in the dark, we can rebuke that. I proclaim that we are in Him, and nothing can hinder our light if we are in Him.
What have been some dark places in your life that you need to see light in? Do you need to be reminded that He is always with you? You may need to focus on the flashlight step by step rather than the view. You are not alone, and you have His light within you always because you have accepted Him. Be encouraged that He is the light in the darkest places.
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