Children of Light

Personal Photo: This was the first spring after I got my new camera. It was so exciting; I was outside trying to capture all the things coming back to life. This tree's buds were just reaching for the sky, hungry for as much sunshine as possible. I feel like we are the same way, reaching to God, in need of Him, in need of His light.

Clay and I were able to go on our first walk of the year! Not only that, but it was Jersey's first walk ever with us, and it was our first walk in our new hometown. I couldn't help it; on Monday, it was finally sunny, and I just wanted to be out in it. I wanted to feel the warmth on my skin, to let it melt away the chill from the wind, and to just soak it in. We enjoyed it so much, we took photos and we made a goal to continue to do it as the weather warms up. As the winter months fade away and we begin to welcome springtime, I can't help but think of how bright the world becomes. The dingy, brown leaves give way to the fresh green grass and smell of wet rain warming up the ground. We all find ourselves a bit happier, a bit more ambitious. It really is the power of the sun.

Truly, the sun and its light have been the theme for the week. I received a very kind compliment from someone in a class I am taking for work; She told me that I am sunshine, that I radiate positivity. A couple days later, when my mom was talking to my grandma on the phone, she told her that I am a ray of sunshine. I was touched by the compliments, and it made me step back and think about the ways in which these compliments really give glory to God. Just like my classmate and my grandma noted, sunshine equates metaphorically to positivity, energy, and happiness. When we portray these things, when we are joyful, we serve as a reflection of God's light in our lives. We are told in John 8:12 that "When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'" When we consider these words, we can see how God's light inside of us is really what other people see when we are joyful. We are unable to create this light alone, but with God, we are able to shine bright enough for others to notice.

I titled this article 'Children of Light' because of the verse above. Jesus directly tells us the He is the Light of the world. His glory, grace, and mercy are what guide us through the day to day. Without Him, we would be without hope, without light, surrounded by the prowling demons that hide in the shadows. And we know that with God, those demons are powerless, for He illuminates our lives and creates a beacon within us to lead others to Christ, and therefore we know that we are children of God, children of Light. So, what does it mean to be children of Light, and what do we do with this knowledge? Knowing that Jesus is the Light of the world helps put into perspective the importance of light. Think about how challenging life would be without any daytime or light: We would stumble over things, hurt ourselves, not be able to find others or recognize them, we would be in constant fear that someone meaning to do us harm was nearby, we would get lost, and so on. Light is what keeps us aware, keeps us conscious of the places we are in, the people we are around, the things around us. In the same way, Jesus serves as the light for all of the things we are unable to see, including our future, our paths to success, the times we will need to rely on our faith, the gift of everlasting life and so much more. God guides us through them all, bringing us right to where we need to be, into His waiting arms.

With this being said, God's light does not prevent the devil and his demons from pawing at us from the shadows, but in fact increases the likelihood they will try to tempt us away from His light. For if we are already in the darkness, we do not need lured there, but if we are in the light, we are the targets of the devil's works. When we experience hardships, struggles, and moments when we fall, it does not mean that we must give into the darkness. It does not mean we turn our backs on the light, it does not mean that there is no hope. In fact, it is quite the opposite. We are told in John 1:5 that "The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it." Here we see the triumph of Jesus over the devil, the ways in which the devil continuously fails and will continue to fail when in competition with the Holy One. In the same way, we will not fail with Jesus on our side, with Him being the light in our lives. The devil's attempts at tempting us away, into sin, into the world, is unsuccessful when we continue to live in His light, seek His brightness, and look to Him to light our way.

Why do I tell you all of this? Well, I think this pre-spring time can be some of the most challenging weeks of the entire year. After making it through the distinct months of winter, we can find ourselves irritable, frustrated, and impatient for some sunshine. I am telling you about Jesus being the light of the world because we, when we are facing God, can be a direct reflection of His light. We are told in Matthew 5:16 "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Here is where we can really put our faith in God into action in our lives. We are not meant to be selfish with God and His love, mercy, grace, and light, but instead we are to share it, to let Jesus's love light up so that we can bring others to Him. My point is that we can be the sunshine that people so desperately need. We can bring joy, positivity, and patience to the table when no one has any to offer or share. When we interact with others, we are interacting with people just like us, in need of some grace, looking for some understanding, and wanting to be heard. We can bring God's love and let it light up the room with our smile, our energy, our enthusiasm. That is what this verse from Matthew is telling us. We have the ability, through Christ, to shine light to give glory to God. Our light is His light because we are children of His. It is an incredible responsibility, and it is exciting to be able to think of ourselves as representatives of God.

I mentioned how this time of year can be challenging for many. Sometimes it can be a difficult time for us. When we find ourselves struggling to be positive, to find light amidst the dark times we are going through, we can refer to Micah 7:8, which references this exact feeling of failure and defeat: "Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light." I love this verse because even when we are facing adversity, when we are at a low point in our lives, we can cling to our faith that the Light of the Lord will guide us out of it. When we seek Him, He is there. Therefore, when we find ourselves struggling, not just this time of the year, but anytime, we can remind ourselves that because of God's light, we will find a way out.

Not only will we escape the darkness we find ourselves working through when we trust in God, but we will also find the fear of the darkness dissipating. We can completely abandon our fear of the darkness. Psalms 27:1 tells us "The Lord is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life--of whom should I be afraid?" When we remember that light wins over darkness every single time, it makes it much easier to abandon the fear of rejection for your faith, fear of the temptations of the earth, and the fear of losing hope.

This brings me full circle; When we face God, we reflect His light, which in turn helps us strenghthen our faith in Him. That faith keeps us hopeful that even when we are going through dark times of our own that our loving and merciful God will carry us through it, and bring us back to the light. This, in turn, makes our lights for Him burn brighter and can help us become a beacon for His glory, which starts the whole cycle over again. Do you see how it is all connected? The joy and peace that people recognize within us can be attributed to the Lord. Luke 8:16 tells us that "No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light." This works the same way for us. The Holy Spirit is alive within us, living in our soul, keeping our lights ablaze. God does not want us to hide our love for Him, our work for Him, how we live for Him. Instead, He wants others to be able to find God through us. Others can see it, can recognize when we are peaceful, joyful, and honest. The compliments that I received from my classmate and my grandma were encouragement to keep living life for God, to give more of myself and to find joy in it, and to give all the glory to Him.

Just like how we crave physical sunshine, we also gravitate towards the people who embody it. When you or I have the chance to be that light, to reflect the brightness of joy that is the Lord, we have the opportunity to make a difference in the world. We could bring someone happiness, we could help people feel heard, we could save a soul. We are children of the true Light, which reminds us that the Holy Spirit keeps the light within us alive, and we too can be beacons of sunshine for others to see God through.