Being a Light

When I was a kid, I remember going spelunking (cave exploring) with my dad a few times when we were living in Southern Arizona. I remember these adventures fondly. I always thought it was amazing to consider what we might find in the different locations. We never went in far (we weren't serious cavers, and didn't have the proper equipment) but it was always fun to explore.

The first time I went in a cave, however, I remember being very nervous about the dark. The further you traveled into the cave, the darker it became, and I wasn't particularly fond of the dark. This was darkness like I hadn't experienced before. In the interior of most caves it is so dark you can't even see your hand in front of your face if you have no source of light.

We, however, did have a source of light. We would always bring a flashlight or lantern (and usually a back-up). When the darkness would start to overcome us (as it did on that first trip) we would turn on our flashlight and illuminate the path ahead. It never ceased to amaze me to see what a difference one small light made in the midst of such vast darkness.

Often when I think back to those moments in the caves, I think about the following verse from John 1:5: “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” The complete and total darkness of the cave cannot overcome the light, just like the darkness that we can experience in the world cannot take over the light – even when we feel like it might.

I recently had a girls' weekend, enjoying some time at a friend's family cabin for some much-needed sabbath and relaxation. One evening we sat and watched the sunset over the lake and spent some time talking about the ways we are trying to live out our faith. My dear friend said something that I have been thinking about ever since that weekend: “You don't need light in the light.”

We are called to be light in the world. I think often though, we tend to be scared of going to the places that really need light. We don't want to go to the places where a light would really make a difference. It is so much easier to spend time in the light. We often are drawn to people and places that share our views on the world, on life, and about faith. At its most basic level this makes sense, and is a good thing. After all, these are often our safe people and places, places where we go to “refuel” our light. We need that; but we can't stop there.

Being a light in the darkness isn't always easy. Sometimes being a light means we are called to love people who are different from us or who we may disagree with on big issues. It means that I might have to love someone who loves Diet Pepsi instead of Diet Coke (okay, just kidding…I digress). It means we may have to step out of our comfort zones.

Often times, kids are much better at this than we are. However, somewhere along the way they start following our example. Perhaps we should be mindful about what we are modeling.

How can you be a light in your neighborhood, school, or community?