In The Darkness

It is Tuesday morning at 6:34 a.m. and the electricity went out in the house and all over our neighborhood. I had busied myself with cooking breakfast and the next minute complete darkness. No light other than a couple of flashlights we found around the house. I am only able to write this due to the fact that I have battery power on my computer.

The absence of light has made for an interesting morning. The boys had to shower in the dark. They now have to eat cereal instead of the toast and eggs I had planned on cooking them. We wonder if the lights are out all over town or if it is just around our home. We do not have any explanation why we are sitting in the dark.

It is easy to take electricity for granted. One minute I am rummaging through the kitchen getting ready for breakfast and the next minute I find myself seated in my chair listening to the boys munching cereal as I write this. Light brings a comfort and security. Light offers direction.

In [John 8:12] Jesus calls himself the Light of the World. There are people who live their entire lives in spiritual darkness. They never see the Light of the World. They operate from day to day groping for direction and meaning as they try to navigate life in this world. They have no hope. They have no peace. They have no security. Most of all they have no salvation outside a relationship with Jesus Christ.

The condition of their souls is as pitch black as my home is this morning. I have the soft glow of this computer monitor giving off a little light. Other than that we are in the dark. One thing that brings peace and comfort is the fact that the sun will rise shortly and life will be restored to a sense of normalcy at least until it sets again today. We do take light for granted. Light from the sun or artificial light.

What would we do in a world without electricity and light? For one thing I would only be able to work on this computer for another five hours and twenty-three minutes before my battery runs out. Oh, wait a second. I just lost ten minutes worth of power so I am down to five hour and thirteen minutes. Without artificial light there would be no basketball games tonight. There would be no television or video games. We would not be able to go out to eat and there would be no heat in our homes except for those with fireplaces if they had firewood or people had gas heaters.

Life in the dark would be a different world. We would probably be forced to go to bed earlier that would mean we might be better rested. We would most likely not stay up later trying to squeeze more and more activity into a day. We would not enjoy all the modern conveniences we take for granted. Life in the dark would mean slower paces of lives and a simpler life. Education would look different. How would we function in a world without cell phones, texting, ipods, email, and GPS?

There are people who live in that world everyday and think nothing of it. I walked into that world three weeks ago when I stepped out of my comfortable world into the world of the Chorti people in Honduras. They live in this world every day of every year. We are inconvenienced this morning. They are inconvenienced every day of their lives.

I just sat down and talked to the boys about all these things I have been writing. We had a great family devotion talking about light. I thank God for sitting in the dark. I am not kidding you. As soon as I wrote the sentence about thanking God for sitting in the dark the electricity went out again. Once again we are sitting in the ark and have learned the electricity is out all over town.

The sun is beginning to rise. The morning sky has turned from black to grey as the sun peaks over the horizon. I still thank God for sitting in the darkness. It gave me the opportunity to talk to my boys about matters of great spiritual significance. I do not know what the day will hold for all of us. I am thankful I get to live this day in relationship with the Light of the World. We as his followers are called to be light in this world as well. [Matt 5:14-16]I hope you shine today in the darkest places in your world. Lord, help us shine brighter and brighter until the world knows Jesus Christ the Light of the World saves from sin and eternal darkness.