“The cross sheds light for souls who stumble in darkness.” –Sadie

Are you afraid of the Light?

As a young child I was afraid of the dark, so my parents found a nightlight that said “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.”  (Psalm 56:3).  I would lie in bed at night repeating that verse to calm my fears.  It helped me learn to trust instead of be afraid of the dark.

I love light.  To this day, if I am home alone at night there will be light.  And during the daylight I love to open the curtains and let light flood the room.  Sunlight gives me a renewed sense of hope and lifts my gloomy moods.  For me sunlight is like a promise from God.

Once during a worrisome time I was setting by the window praying.  As I finished my prayer a shaft of sunlight broke through caressing my cheek.  It was as if I’d been touched by God and he was saying all is well.  Many times God has used sunlight to remind me that he is near.  It’s one of the ways we communicate with each other.  I like to think of it as a love letter from God.

As wonderful as those experiences are, sadly there are many times spiritually when I stay in the dark.  I know I need the light, but I stay in the shadows ignoring the truth.  It may be fear of what God is asking me to do, or rebellion over a sin that needs to be confessed.  Spiritual darkness creates a rift between me and God.  It zaps my strength and hurts my witness. I find myself much like Adam and Eve trying to hide from God.  The more I hide the more I become afraid of the light and what it will reveal.  Living in the dark is a miserable existence.  The only way out is confession and repentance.

Thankfully, I have a loving savior who doesn’t give up on me.  He tenderly woos me back to the light.  He reminds me that I belong to him and once again I stand at the foot of the cross where he shines his light of truth into my heart and lovingly restores me.  I stand in his embrace, cross light flooding my soul, and wonder that I was ever afraid of the light.

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.”  Ephesians 5: 8-10

Standing in Grace,

Sadie