“For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.” (Ephesians 5:8-9 NLT)
Have you ever been where the sun never shines? My son and I toured a massive cave together. The tour guide took us to a huge open area and turned off her light. Total darkness! Though I don’t remember what it was called, the guide told us about a species that lived in the cave that originally had eyes, but after several generations, having never seen light, they began being born without eyes.
It caused me to think of generations of people who live without any knowledge of Jesus, or who willingly choose to be ignorant of Him. It’s as if over time their soul becomes blind to who He is.
“Solstice” “Used by permission, © Ray Majoran, GlimpseOfInfinity.com”
Ray Majoran is a photographer who has taken some breathtaking photos of nature. Each day I receive another photo with a prayer and Scripture that Ray uses as he describes his photo. A few weeks ago, he prayed: “Father God, yesterday in the northern hemisphere, we witnessed the miracle of the winter solstice. For a moment, the earth was tilted at 23.5 degrees so that the sun appeared directly over the Tropic of Capricorn, representing the darkest day in the northern hemisphere. In fact, for those in the Arctic Circle, the sun did not rise.” Then he added: “It’s hard to imagine a day without the sun’s light, but it’s even harder to imagine a day without Jesus — the Light of the World.”
The irony for us as believers is that we can walk past people every day who have eyes but are blind to the Truth of who Jesus is and to what He has accomplished for us and for them on the Cross. In some cases, their blindness is self-inflicted because they’ve closed their heart and soul to any consideration of God or a god. Does that make them a “bad” person? Not necessarily, but it does make them lost and without hope for a home in heaven.
On some levels it’s as if their soul has experienced a solstice and their view of the “Son” has been blocked or impaired. Death of a loved one, a severe loss, despair, depression, disappointment, there are many things the enemy uses to cause us to lose sight of the light of the Savior’s love. But the irony is, sometimes it only takes a kind word, a thoughtful gesture, a caring call, or an intentional effort on our part to give them a glimpse of the Light.
Living as a person of light means we must allow the light of God’s loving kindness to shine on more than ourselves. Yes, of course, our lives should reflect the love of God in very practical ways, but we can’t allow ourselves to believe our life alone will show someone the way to Jesus. Kindness must be coupled with thoughtful, helpful words that not only inform, but invite someone to yield their lives to the Savior.
Being a person of the Light of life is a privilege that bears responsibility. We must be students of the Word of God and pursuers of the Lamb of God, for it’s through Jesus and His Word that we are equipped to share the life He’s given us with others.
Paul wrote in the verse above that “So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.” We’re so prone to forget that we once walked in darkness and the Lord sent someone to us to show us the way to the Light of life.
“Lord of heavens armies, please enable us, by Your Spirit, to be sensitive to those in our spheres of influence. Help our lives to be a beacon of hope for those who are struggling. Enable us to be You to those who are desperate for a touch from You. Grant that we might not block the light of Your life from healing and helping others to see You clearly. In Jesus holy name I pray.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 