Jesus wasn't scared of the dark
Every night there is something that scares me a little. It's not the dark itself, but what happens when it's dark. Cockroaches love the dark. They hate light. I hate cockroaches... Last night as we came home from worship team practice, I began walking down the hall to our bedroom, switching on the lights. Yep. There he was...Mr. Cocky Roach. Just waiting there, stunned by the sudden light, keeping near to the baseboard. I said to Keith, "there's one in the hall..." He replied, "I don't even see them....How do you see them so much?" "Well, I always look down for a black mark on the floor and if I see one, I know it's probably a cockroach" I said. "Oh, so you're LOOKING for them," he said. "I don't look for them, so I don't see them" he finished. Well, there you go. I guess that's my problem...I look for them. I should just stop caring, I guess. But the thought of stepping on one, "crunch," keeps me looking. We have had an exterminator come in January, mind you. But apparently 6 weeks is too long between treatments here. It IS paradise, after all.
This week has been full of reminders that the fall of man from a perfect state is far-reaching. Darkness has grown its ugly branches into every area of life and I for one am hungry for the Light to invade. And I'm not talking about the creepy cockroach fear. Life is hard. People hurt. People inflict hurt. There is no quick fix. But there is Light...and His name is Jesus.
What is even more astounding than the depth of darkness in our world is that Jesus would walk into it, and without fear. Jesus wasn't scared of us, our world, our darkness. He wasn't afraid to get dirty here in our world, touched by the dirt of our darkness. He wasn't afraid to get soiled by the association with sinners...even the worst of sinners in the world's eyes. Prostitutes, thieves, tax collectors...these are the people he allowed himself to be near.
And if Jesus wasn't afraid to be here...I don't have to be afraid. Especially because now, the Light has come into the darkness. Jesus is that Light, and He can drive all the dark away. He can light up a mind when it is full of dark thoughts. He can light up a heart when it's full of hateful feelings. He can light up a depressed soul when life feels too big and difficult to navigate. For "In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." John 1:4-5 Where does the light shine? In the darkness. It's the darkness that draws the light, where the contrast is seen the best. Because the dark cannot overcome the Light. The Light is greater, stronger, trimphant over the dark.
This is like an elementary school science lesson on the one hand, and yet a profound Biblical truth on the other. Light is greater than darkness. Light brings life, warmth, growth, nourishment. Darkness brings death, cold, barren ground. Even the things that appear to "grow in the dark" are using up stores of energy they obtained from the light they once knew. No light ever = No life ever.
The world may continue to exist in it's darkness. But Light has come in the person of Jesus. Things will never be without hope again. Thanks be to God that Jesus wasn't afraid of the dark...he came into it.
This week has been full of reminders that the fall of man from a perfect state is far-reaching. Darkness has grown its ugly branches into every area of life and I for one am hungry for the Light to invade. And I'm not talking about the creepy cockroach fear. Life is hard. People hurt. People inflict hurt. There is no quick fix. But there is Light...and His name is Jesus.
What is even more astounding than the depth of darkness in our world is that Jesus would walk into it, and without fear. Jesus wasn't scared of us, our world, our darkness. He wasn't afraid to get dirty here in our world, touched by the dirt of our darkness. He wasn't afraid to get soiled by the association with sinners...even the worst of sinners in the world's eyes. Prostitutes, thieves, tax collectors...these are the people he allowed himself to be near.
And if Jesus wasn't afraid to be here...I don't have to be afraid. Especially because now, the Light has come into the darkness. Jesus is that Light, and He can drive all the dark away. He can light up a mind when it is full of dark thoughts. He can light up a heart when it's full of hateful feelings. He can light up a depressed soul when life feels too big and difficult to navigate. For "In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." John 1:4-5 Where does the light shine? In the darkness. It's the darkness that draws the light, where the contrast is seen the best. Because the dark cannot overcome the Light. The Light is greater, stronger, trimphant over the dark.
This is like an elementary school science lesson on the one hand, and yet a profound Biblical truth on the other. Light is greater than darkness. Light brings life, warmth, growth, nourishment. Darkness brings death, cold, barren ground. Even the things that appear to "grow in the dark" are using up stores of energy they obtained from the light they once knew. No light ever = No life ever.
The world may continue to exist in it's darkness. But Light has come in the person of Jesus. Things will never be without hope again. Thanks be to God that Jesus wasn't afraid of the dark...he came into it.
Amen!
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