My husband thinks he’s sooooo funny! On Saturday, I had so many things I wished to accomplish. I wanted to clean out my kitchen cabinets and possibly one or two closets. Yet, when I looked out the window at 6:00 p.m., it was so dark that I lost the urge to clean! It’s like my mind was confused and tried to convince me that I should be going to bed. Being disheartened, I messaged my husband to complain, “I hate the darkness!”
He, ever so quickly and sarcastically messaged back, “Turn on the light.”
Wait what? I wanted…I truly NEEDED compassion! I needed him to tell me that daylight would return soon and that I had plenty of time to do my work tomorrow or even next week. Who did he think he was, smarting off to me like that? Turn on the light he said? Well, I decided to show him! I turned the light on and walked right out on the back porch! I shuffled over to the edge of the porch and looked up at the vast evening sky. Right in the middle of all the darkness, several stars shone ever so brightly. Over in a distance, the moon reflected the sunlight from the other side of the world. I giggled, “Okay God, I get it.”
Folks, I gotta tell you, it’s dark out in the world and getting darker by the minute. I just listened briefly to a young man on facebook who was calling Jesus a liar. He tried to use the Bible as evidence! You know I prayed for him right then and there, right? Sadly, there isn’t much respect for God being shown in our world today…or anything else for that matter! As my momma used to say, “It’s a dog eat dog world.” We know that time is running out, but the lost world won’t have it that way. They want what they want, when they want it, how they want it, and by any means possible to get it… because they think they are ‘blessed and highly favored.’
If that isn’t enough proof of the darkness, let’s recall the events of 2020… then again, let’s not do that right now. You know exactly what I mean because the darkness of the pandemic, politics, and ungodliness has carried right over into 2021!
Christians don’t like to admit it that they struggle. So much so that, we often try to pretend to be superhuman. We mustn’t let the world see that we aren’t perfectly kept, right? To show weakness would be like showing others that our God is not capable of keeping us happy, right? We can’t let God down like that, can we? However, the truth of the matter is that, even though we are Christians, WE ARE HUMAN. (There’s a reason Jesus didn’t stay human…Humans are vulnerable!) Yes, we have every reason to be happy, but being human means we often fail to ask God for the help and forgiveness that we need.
Can I ask you a personal question? Are you in a DEEP DARKNESS right now as you read this blog? Are you longing for some light in this dismal world? You may not be able to identify exactly what darkness is to a Christian. Let me give you a few examples:
- Fear that feels bigger than your God
- Panic that brings about physical and mental disablement
- Depression that leads to feelings of hopelessness
- Deception in the mind, believing the lies of Satan
- Loneliness because most people don’t understand your lifestyle
- Compulsive actions that are not the best alternatives
- Inactivity and inability to actively use God given talents
YES! Christians experience darkness too! (Remember Job?) Satan works especially hard on Christians to keep us so self absorbed that we don’t have time to think about or witness to the lost! He knows, like we do, that his time is running out!
Sisters and Brothers in Christ, if you have found yourself in this darkness, run as fast as you can to Jesus. It sounds so simple, but it’s ever so important to give every care to him. Don’t waste another second on things that could be taken care of right away, like really this minute! Don’t struggle with these feelings alone. Reach out to a Brother or Sister-in-Christ for prayer and conversation. There is a possibility too (and I’m pretty sure you will know) that you may also need to see a physician. God was ever so thoughtful in making those for us too!
As long as we are in the darkness, we will be defeated and useless! Knowing we have Christian friends walking around right now with smiles on their faces, but broken hearts in their chests, we must be passionate about being a light for them as well as a lost and dying world. We’re all in this life together. The goal is to keep everyone going in the same direction – if you know what I mean!
Like my husband said, “Turn the light on.” If you happen to walk into worldly darkness throughout the day or night. Christians have a “sixth sense,” so to speak, when it comes to walking into an ungodly conversation or walking upon someone who is taking part in an ungodly action. We know when the time is right to talk to a person who seems to be in distress. It is then that we can be a light for Christ. Believe it or not, many times the person will thank us later!
Hint: One of the quickest ways to turn on the light for the lost is to present them with a genuine smile!
Let me challenge you to be a light for Christ every single day!
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Matthew 5:14
