Walk as Children of Light

Some of my earliest memories are related to my fear of the dark. I’ve heard people say they aren’t afraid of the dark, but of what’s in the dark. Not me! I lay full blame on the dark.

Darkness conceals things that aren’t allowed to bother you in the daytime. When I was little, I rarely gave a thought to wolves during daylight hours, but they prowled outside my bedroom window in the dark, waiting for me to go to sleep so they could eat me. There were no snakes under my bed during the day (well, there was a lizard once), but in the dark, there almost certainly were. Could they, would they concertina themselves up a bed post to the top bunk to get me, or might they be satisfied with my dear little sister, easy prey on the lower bunk? She never knew how much sleep I lost “standing guard” for her.

It’s difficult to walk properly in the dark. If I needed to get up during the night, the process of getting from the bed to the light switch while trying not to touch the floor seemed to take hours. Even now, my toes curl involuntarily, anticipating table legs and corners. I tend to slide my feet on the floor to avoid tripping over something I can’t see. That’s not how we are meant to walk. In daylight, it doesn’t take much thought for most of us to walk normally.

In order to have any peace at night when I was a child, I constructed my own set of boundaries for the things that existed only in the dark. Because I couldn’t breathe with my head under the covers, I discovered the obvious “rule” that wolves couldn’t eat anything that was covered, but it would be fine for me to uncover from my chin up. They wouldn’t eat my head, you know, because it’s nothing but bones. Make sense? Of course not. But how else was I going to save myself and get some sleep?

Thank God for light that reveals what is true, physically and spiritually. In the first chapter of Ephesians, Paul prays that the eyes of our hearts will be enlightened. The purpose of the light is that we may know. That we may know the hope, the riches, and the immeasurable greatness of God’s power. By this light, we can clearly see the truth that Christ was raised from the dead, that he is seated at the right hand of God, and that all things have been put under his feet. We can see that, though we were dead in our sins, children of wrath like the rest of mankind, God, in his mercy and love, made us alive. Light, life, love, no fear. Hallelujah!

The gift of light allows us to uncurl our toes, pick up our feet, and walk the way we were created to walk. As God’s workmanship, we should walk in good works for which we were created in Christ. We are to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called. Ephesians 4 tells us what that looks like. We must not walk as hard-hearted, ignorant thinkers. From there, Paul goes on to the truly hard part: walk in love. “At one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.”

Walk as children of light!

Until Jesus comes back, we’ll have to contend with the darkness of night, but the first Advent brought the Light that allows us to walk as children of light. There’s no need to struggle to make the world conform to our personal set of rules. We are able to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Recognizing that time is short and that these days are evil, we can learn to make the best use of the time we have, day or night.

Creator God, teach us to rest in your arms in dark hours, and to walk carefully in daylight or darkness. Thank you for sending Jesus, the light of the world; a light to guide our feet into the way of peace. Please save us from trying to light our own way. Amen.

Scripture for Reflection

“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:6 ESV).

“The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God shall be your glory. Your sun shall no more go down, nor your moon withdraw itself; for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended (Isaiah 60:19-20 ESV)

Reach for More

Is there a dark corner in your life where light needs to shine? Do you have questions you are reluctant to ask? Pray for wisdom. God gives it generously and without reproach to those who ask. Pray for the courage to open your heart to a Christian brother or sister. And pray for a mentor worthy of your trust.

Through the gift of a faithful mother and grandmother, Diane Pendergraft grew up knowing Jesus as a friend. Married for nearly two-thirds of her life, there has been time for several seasons, from homeschooling to owning a coffee shop. She has three grown children and eight grandchildren. An element of this season is writing about literature and life at Plumfield and Paideia.

Photograph © Antonín Daněk, used with permission