Living in the Light of Light
Let the Light infuse your life.
Like most modern technology, my phone contains features to make my life more convenient. One of those handy features is adaptive brightness. My phone automatically senses the ambient light around it and adjusts the screen’s brightness to match. This unsung feature spares my eyes from encountering blinding light in dim settings or straining under the sun’s bright glare.
However, like most technology, my phone’s adaptive brightness will fail. Sometimes, my phone screen stays dim after I move from low to bright light. It’s only until I manually adjust the brightness that I realize how little light I had survived on.
We get used to the abnormal in other areas of life. That pile of laundry becomes a mountain before you realize it. That unread email transforms into hundreds of unopened notifications. Often, it’s only when we step back and look at where we started and where we are that we realize how out of control things have gotten.
Maybe you started this year with a plan to pray daily but your mornings got busy. Maybe you asked for God’s help controlling your anger but snapped at your spouse. Before you know it, you’re nowhere where you wanted to be with no idea how you got there.
Like I need to increase my phone’s brightness, I also need to increase my exposure to the Word of God. Proverbs 119:105 reminds believers that God’s word “is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Because a lamp only illuminates so far, I must open my Bible every day to catch a glimpse of the guiding light.
In addition, God’s word reveals the darkness in our lives. A few summers ago, our church studied the different elements of the Tabernacle and learned that the Israelites made the brazen laver out of the women’s mirrors. Every time a priest used the laver for purification, he saw his reflection. Likewise, we see ourselves reflected through Scripture, and we see God’s view of us. The Bible can only cut through the marrow and discern our thoughts and intents if we’re exposed to it. Otherwise, we will become like the man in James 1:23-25 who sees the truth but immediately forgets when he looks away from the glass.
Jesus is the Word and the Light of the World. In this dark time of life, don’t get used to low light. Instead, turn up the brightness as you study the Bible.