A Little Light Goes a Long Way
Wednesday (October 29)
A Little Light Goes a Long Way
Psalm 36:9
For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.
In his essay called Is Theology Poetry, C.S. Lewis wrote, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen, not only because I see it but because by it, I see everything else.” I’ve always found that picture to be insightful when reading the many Scriptural allusions to God’s light. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light,” wrote Isaiah in Isaiah 9:2. “Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness,” said Jesus in John 8:12. “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it,” wrote John in John 1:5. “In him was life, and the life was the light of men,” wrote John again in John 1:4. Clearly, the apostle John was enamored with this metaphor and for good reason. But Lewis’ quote is really just an observation rather than an insight. Because all he had to do was look up, at almost any time of day, see the giant glowing orb that sits perfectly above our earth to give light to all we do, and notice the point of its existence. The sun is telling us something. Every day, for hours upon hours, whether we notice it or not, whether we appreciate it or not, whether we feel any inclination toward gratitude or not, the sun sits above our lives to give light and heat. And God has clearly fashioned our solar system in that way so that we’ll always have a central, transcendent-but-imminent symbol of His place in our lives no matter where we go.
But take this picture even deeper and consider that wherever light shines, no matter how small the candle or how distant the star, darkness disappears. Wherever light is, darkness is not. That’s a powerful thought to consider, especially when putting into practice the commission our Lord gives us in Matthew 5:14-16: “You are the light of the world. Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father Who is in heaven.”
Just think: by being godly today, by simply walking with the LORD in good faith, even in seemingly mundane endeavors, we’ll light the way for others.