Journey, an update 10-31-07

The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. John 1:5

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God. John 3:17-21

This time of year the sun starts setting earlier, the days here in Hungary turn gray and gloomy and I start thinking about the many effects and impacts of light. Today is not just physically gloomy but spiritually also as there is a worldwide celebration of darkness. In my childhood I could celebrate this holiday with innocence. It was all about dressing up, having fun, attending costume parties where I got to be a princess, giggle with friends and eat candy. But that innocence is long gone. As I have grown from childish innocence to adulthood I have seen the battle between darkness and light with new eyes. Now, every day I get up and prepare to become a tool that is used by God in the battle to draw men’s souls to the light.

God gave me an image earlier this week, a vision of His light. In it there was a canvas of the universe, black as the darkest night with not a trace of light shading the edges. Then there was a light, bright and pure and holy. It was so beautiful, full of hope, the type of beauty that brings tears to the eyes. And suddenly from that light streamed tight beams of pure light down onto a black planet far below. And the light lit up one pinpoint and then another and then a thousand more. These little receptacles functioned like reflecting mirrors so that the light was channeled and amplified into the darkness igniting other pinpoints of light. Thousands of little lights, reflecting the glory of God into the darkness: that vision hasn’t left my mind all week.

This image, this vision, exemplifies how we as children of light are those mirrors, those channels of God’s light into the darkness. We come into the light and testify to how God has turned our darkness into light and given us a hope and a future. Pray with me that God’s light will shine on men’s souls and that His Spirit will move so that they will understand that He desires to forgive and remove their condemnation. Pray that we would be vessels of God’s light and that it would shine brightly within this dark and desperate world.