I was reading during my flight to Houston. As the steward made his way down the aisle past my seat he paused, reached above my head and turned the light on over my seat. He mentioned the light would make my reading easier. He was right.
The strange thing to me was that I was unaware of the darkness and the struggle it was causing me. Only after the steward turned on the light did I recognize the darkness.
The simple gesture sent my thoughts spinning as I suddenly realized how accustomed to the darkness of this world I had become. I had heard the news broadcast of the shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon, and I paused for a moment thinking of those families hurt by the shooter. But sadly, it is not a story that surprises me. These stories are becoming way too common, and I expect it will not be the last shooting I will hear about. Russia has bombed Syria, and that will not be the last conflict I will hear about. I grow accustomed to hearing of death and war and shootings. I have grown used to the darkness, its destructive ways and the pain it causes.
If I am going to overcome my acceptance of the world’s darkness I need to live close to the source of God’s eternal Light, Jesus Christ. The Apostle John writes, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). Accepting the darkness is unacceptable for a Christian. I have prayer, Christ’s work of redemption and the power of the Holy Spirit to shed divine light on this darkness.
I must depend on the Holy Spirit to guide me into the Light of Christ and to share His Light in the world through the proclamation of the Gospel. As Christians we must never accept the darkness in this world, but lift up prayers to Almighty Christ who is the Light from God who has overcome the darkness.
Denise Larson Cooper has a passion for Christ and sharing His Word. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise currently works as a gymnastic coach.
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Godnesia: Keeping God in Mind Each Day http://amzn.to/2GSquOD
Ordinary Days With an Extraordinary Savior – http://amzn.to/2mFGASBLife Is a Metaphor: Recognizing God in the Everyday – http://amzn.to/2De1rU2