The Light

I was standing outside the other night, after the guys had put in a new fluorescent light bulb. It struck me as an interesting comparison to God's light. I'm not sure where this is going to go, but I'm going to give it a shot.

The light bulb starts out really dim. Then it slowly gets brighter, until it lights up the night like a beacon. The dark can be so overwhelming, but with the light you can see what's going on around you. It makes the sometimes scary night bearable.

When you are trapped in the dark of life, it seems scary. You search and search for what it means, what matters, and which way you should go. Sometimes we think we know what we want, only to find it isn't really what we need. Finally we pray. The light comes on, and at first it may seem a little dim. This is only because we don't understand fully what we are asking for. As we grow closer to Jesus, the light grows and grows..... until finally, we are surrounded by this lovely, bright light. The light of the love of our Heavenly Father is a beautiful thing. You see it in the people who are already following Him and sharing His love. It shines through them in the things they say, the things they do, and the life they live. The closer you get to Jesus, the more the light will shine through you, too.

So how do you find the light? It's almost as easy as turning on the light switch. You pray. You ask God to forgive you for your sins, and to enter your heart. He wants you to do this. He wants the people He created, that He knew before they were even born, to seek Him. Even when you've made really really bad choices, He still loves you and will forgive you. You just have to ask Him. After you've done this, then you continue to actively seek Him so that you can be closer to Him.

 By reading His Word and praying, you strive to follow His Will for not only you and your life, but His Will, period. The closer you get to Him, the closer you WANT to get to Him. You want everything that you do to honor Him. You want to be a lamp for Him, showing others that He is in your heart and you are in His. You begin to see the things He wants you to see, to do the things He wants you to do, and to live the way He wants you to live. Your eyes are opened to the things that hurt him... the homeless, the hurting, the lonely. You want to help them and to show them His love.

His love is a beautiful light. I know I said that but it bears repeating. And in repeating, there is light.