DTOTD – Thought 2

” In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. 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: 1-5

In a conversation a few years ago, a co-worker asked me this question:

” Do you or have you ever been in a place where darkness felt heavy?”

It was such an interesting question, based on the fact that he was reading through the book of Exodus and the plagues that enveloped Egypt while God was getting the Israelites free from Pharaoh. He was reading about the darkness plague and how the bible described as this:

” Stretch out you hand toward heaven, that there may be a darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness that can be felt.” - Exodus 10:21

Have you ever been in a place where you could feel the darkness?

My response to the question was yes, because there was a cavern that I went to when I was growing up that put us in a place like this. It was a cavern that you would hike down into the earth to see the opening to what looks like a horrifying wonderland. The stalagmites and stalactites bulged from under the ground and dangled from the roof of the cavern. You would walk back along a creek that ran in to the cavern, in some places feeling a little unsafe as the path would get smaller and smaller but it finally led you to an open area of the cavern that you just looked at in amazement. It was huge and loud and breath taking. The guide you were with would talk about how the people that discovered the cave and the cavern probably had little to light trying to find this big open space and he would turn off a little bit of the light that guided your path. Then he would say that if the people that were finding this cavern were criminals or potentially people that were trying to hide from someone or something, that they probably had no light on……….the last of the light went out.

That is a memory and feeling and emotion that I will never forget. The moment the last light went out the darkness caused a sudden case of paralysis that you didn’t want to move anything, even though a second ago you were looking at your feet and your hands, but the darkness caused you to forget where you were and what was around you. And then…..the guide did something that I was not ready for….he didn’t turn the lights back on, but he demonstrated what just a little bit of light could do in the darkness.

He took out a match and lit it. And for the time that the match was lit, one little match was able to light in the darkness a path for you to walk safely back to the entrance of the cavern.

In the beginning was the Word, the Word was Light and the darkness has not overcome it.

To most people in the world, the darkness that is felt inside of a cavern when the lights are turned off, is the same darkness that they feel on a daily basis.

They are lost. They are wounded. They are looking for answers. They are searching for peace. They are searching for a place to belong and a place to love them. To be known and loved and welcomed and cared for. Every heart on the planet, old or young is in a constant journey to find purpose and in some cases…..light for their lives.

Some of us will turn to our work. We will sink everything into our work. We will work day and night and never rest because that is where we feel our purpose lies. Some of us will turn to making money. It doesn’t matter what we have to do to make the money, but as long as we continue to make money we find our purpose in making money. Some of us will turn to being a parent. That everything that happens in life will be determined and predicated on the schedule of our kids and that our kids are the most important things happening and our purpose is to do everything for them.

Some of us will turn to the bottle. Because we don’t know what our purpose is and the only time you feel anything is when you open another bottle. Some of us will turn to drugs because that is the feeling that you need in life to feel alive. Some of us will turn to sexual encounters because that is what makes us feel alive. Some of us will just sit in darkness and walk through life like living zombies that have no emotion to anything because we are in a perpetual state of darkness……

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was light.

What if I told you that there is someone who can provide a light that overcomes any darkness. What if I told you that you can connect and listen and learn and love and be loved and be known by this someone who can provide that light. That no matter what is going on in your life or around your life, you are seen and heard. Whether you are perfect, which you aren’t, or you are filled with mistakes and regret and shame, someone looks at you with preciousness and grace and love.

Saul was a man in the bible that prided himself on being the person that was going to take down ” The Way” as it was known. The Way was the followers of Jesus that went on after Jesus died, was ressurected, and ascended into heaven. The Way was spreading all over the known world and Saul was zealous enough to go after The Way to kill it. On his way to destroy The Way, kind of feels like a star wars movies as I type this, but on his way to a city called Damascus, Saul encounters something that he was not expecting:

” Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. And falling to the ground he heard a voice…..” Acts 9:3-4a

The Word was Light and the darkness has not over come it.

Even a man that is on the hunt to destroy The Way would feel the light that would overcome all darkness.

We live in a world right now that feels like there is a lot of darkness. Deceit, lies, political war, physical war, bombings, child trafficking, sex trafficking, suicide, mental illness, physical illness. So many things in our world that, make some of us feel the darkness, just like the Egyptians did during the plague of darkness. Can I invite you to something if you are feeling this darkness….

“ So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They did not see one another no did anyone rise from his place for three days……but….all the people of Israel had LIGHT where they lived.” - Exodus 10:22-23

Jesus is the light that can overcome the darkness.

Jesus desires for you to know him because Jesus knows you.

God sent Jesus to the earth to live a life that is worth learning from and then sacrificed him so that we could have a relationship

with God.

The light of the world is in the person of Jesus.

Jesus is worth a follow.