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.” John 8:12 (NIV)
Thinking of Jesus as Light is an image I can appreciate. I live way out in the country where I find myself in the dark a lot. There are no other houses around—my parents and brother live on either side of me but through the woods—and we are far from the road. No streetlights. No lights from businesses or cars. We’re pretty isolated.
Don’t get me wrong, I like it. I like to go outside at night and look up in the sky and see total blackness dotted by diamonds. I like to call my mom and tell her to turn on her porch light because I’m on the way down the path. I like to see the sun rise out of the darkness, competing with no other light. I like to watch fireflies sparkle on an otherwise dark landscape.
The thing about darkness is that it amplifies the light. Stars aren’t nearly as bright when you’re in a city surrounded by lights. And porch lights in a neighborhood, while friendly, don’t serve a serious purpose. Even the sunrise is anticlimactic in a place of artificial light.
American novelist Edith Wharton said, “There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” In our relationship with Jesus, He’s the candle. We are the mirror that reflects His light to the world. The deeper the darkness, the brighter we shine.
FAITH STEP: Remember that song you learned as a child, “This Little Light of Mine”? Sing it. Go ahead, you know you want to. Sing it like you mean it.
