Bringing Light into Darkness
The evidence that we live in a dark world is overwhelming. Just this past month, we have seen the slaughter of innocents in Uvalde, TX, Buffalo, NY, Ames, IA, and Philadelphia, PA. People shot indiscriminately because they happened to be where the shooters decided to vent their rage. In 2020, there were over 43,500 deaths, both murders and suicides, involving guns.
This is not a post about gun laws or about the need to restrict the types of guns available and to whom, though I have my opinions. Rather, it is about the darkness of our society for which gun violence reflect merely a part. Can we for a moment step back and look at our nation somewhat objectively? Besides gun violence, suicide among young people ages 15-24 is the second leading cause of death. As I have written before, anxiety among young people has been on a meteoric rise since the late 2000’s. Sexual assault and cover-ups have been exposed in several denominations over the past few decades. And most of us have experienced the caustic tenor of our political discourse and there seems to be no indication that will be changing anytime soon.
And these observations raise a lot of questions for those of us who claim to follow Jesus. Our Lord proclaimed that he is the light of the world, and that we should not hide his light within us, but rather to let it shine for all to see. This light is found in the form of the fruit borne by those who have the Holy Spirit within them—love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) How much of that light are we shining into the present darkness of our culture?
Light, by its very nature, overcomes darkness. You may have had the experience of touring a cave and the guide asking everyone to turn off their flashlights or headlamps. Pitch darkness consumes the space. It is such a strange sensation not to be able to see people standing right next to you. Yet, then the command comes to turn the lights back on. What happens? The darkness immediately recedes.
Jesus proclaimed that darkness could not overcome his light (John 1:5) It is only possible when we are not shining his light within us in our daily lives that it is possible for darkness to reign.
So here is a question we all need to ask ourselves and meditate upon before we reach any conclusions: In what ways does my life shine brightly the light of Jesus, and in what ways does it contribute to allow the darkness of this world to reign? Here are some examples to get you started:
· Do you live confidently in the hope Jesus brings, or do you allow that hope to be diminished based on the circumstances of your life and that of our nation?
· Can you still love those who hold different views from yours? Not just in an intellectual assent way, but in real life interactions, whether on social media or in person?
· In expressing your disagreements, are you harsh or cynical, or are you gentle and kind?
· Do you truly believe the Lord is in control of the world and you can trust him with whatever is happening at the time?
These are just a few of many questions we all should be asking ourselves because it seems apparent to me that many of us fall far short of letting the light of Jesus shine brightly in our lives. The body of Christ should be shining brightly his light so as to repel the darkness and draw others to the Light of the world—Jesus. The Apostle John tells us that,
If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. (I John 1:6-7)
We live in a very dark world. The only way to repel the darkness is to walk in the light of Jesus. And it begins with each of us faithfully embracing the ways of the Light and rejecting the ways of darkness.
© Jim Musser 2022 All Scripture references are from the New International Version, 2011.
