I love flying at night and had the opportunity to do so last Saturday. Looking at the twinkling lights below reminded me of the verse, “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). There were clusters of lights when we fly over cities but those that seemed to shine the brightest were the ones spread out in the darkness.
I also thought of darkness and light one day as I sat in my office writing. I overheard the evening news coming from the living room as a reporter shared yet another story of heartbreak and despair. I felt so helpless and prayed, “Lord, what do I do? There is so much hurt in this world and it seems like there’s little I can do to make a difference. I can’t stop all the violence. I can’t take away the pain.” I sensed Him whispering, “The only way to get rid of darkness is to add more light.”
Darkness is nothing more than the absence of light. Trying to capture and remove it would be like trying to catch your shadow. But each time we love our neighbor, offer kindness, help the helpless, protect the innocent, and make a small difference then a little more of the darkness disappears too.
Like the lights I watched out of an airplane window, we are called to shine wherever we are today.
