Letting in More of His Light

"In Him was life and that life was the light of all mankind." (John 1:4)

I let that light permeate my mind a few moments…

Light helps me see things I wouldn’t otherwise see. It keeps me from stumbling in the darkness. Light reveals the truth. It highlights beauty and exposes flaws. Light shows the way, inspires potential.

Light is a photographer’s most powerful tool. Consider the glorious moments of sunrise and sunset: what an adventure it is to be poised to get a piece of that spectacular sky! An artist seeks to capture the elusive beauty of light – a light that brings ambiance, releases emotion and makes colors come alive. From a box of paints the artist painstakingly coaxes the colors to life to replicate a sunlit forest path, the dewdrop on a rose or a glistening pond. Oh, the treasure and pleasure of light!

But the light of Jesus Christ transcends all other light, radiating out to all who seek it. It is exceedingly more beautiful and powerful than any other light source we know. It brings life! It warms, adorns and enchants every living thing.

From the gentlest glow to a burst of tremendous intensity, He speaks into our lives. His light casts a serene simplicity on the most perplexing matters, it diffuses doubt and articulates direction. It is vibrant and undeniable, when it finally penetrates the walls we hide within. The next step is well illuminated -- we know what needs to be done.

Just as an artist's eye discerns the best colors to blend, a child of God recognizes the times she needs to draw nearer still, to be infused with His light. Sometimes it is a scrupulous process, as we are not often given a "high beam" when we ask for light. Most often, walking with Jesus and abiding in Him provides just enough light to take the next step.

Lord, you have come into the world as light, so that no one who believes in you should stay in darkness. (John 12:46) Let your marvelous light seep into every area of my life. Saturate me with your light and your life. 

Light of the world you stepped down into darkness, opened my eyes, let me see… (love that song!)

New Leg of His Journey

He was a good man -- thoughtful, gracious and easy to be around. He was adventurous, creative, vibrant and fun. And now our dear friend is gone. His valiant battle with cancer is over.

It happened only days after the Women's Breakaway, where I had shared the details of how Ted and I had ridden a roller coaster of health issues last summer, hanging on for dear life. In the most frail of moments, we had clung to our faith and surrendered to God's bigger plan -- whatever that would be.

For Ted and I, things turned out far better than we anticipated. We found ourselves receiving amazing answers to prayer.

For our friend, this is not what we thought would happen. He was only 49.

Yet it begs me to answer once more, can I trust God to be God? Can I surrender again into the hands of a Loving Father who has a bigger plan that we can't see?

Again, it's time to dig in with my deepest roots that keep me strong. I call out to God, telling Him of all that boggles my mind and burdens my heart. I surrender and rest in Him because He is Author and Creator and the way the story will unfold is for Him to decide.

I devote time to reading God's Word and I preserve some quiet time to listen for His wisdom. I trust in Him for comfort and refreshing. My hope is in eternity where we will see our loved ones again and walk with God in a new world of splendor beyond human description.

And the Comforter comes near, once again. My mind opens a bit wider to let in more Light. The Holy Spirit brings peace into the most perplexing situations; Love shows up in our darkest hour; and Hope appears in the midst of our emotional pain.

Our friend will live on in the hearts of all who had the blessing of knowing him. While we will miss him deeply, he has inspired us to live with that same courage, humility and grace that he and his sweet wife have so beautifully demonstrated.

Now he has gone on to a new leg of his journey. As Christ-followers, we don't grieve like those who have no hope (1 Thess. 4:13-14 NIV). Our earthly lives are only a small segment of the journey -- a temporary separation -- in the face of forever.

Heavenly Father, great is your love toward us; your faithfulness endures forever. (Ps. 117:2 NIV) You are omniscient, and you have the greater good in mind, always. We will fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Cor. 4:18 NIV)