Darkness and Light

 

We toured Alaska several years ago. We were there for Solstice Day, the longest day of the year, with over 23 hours of daylight. Despite having a nice visit, we all said that we couldn’t live in Alaska because it just stays so dark in the winter.

 

There is a medical condition called Seasonal Affective Disorder that I’ve treated patients for. People get depressed in the winter months due to a lack of daylight. We treat it with bright light exposure as well as with medication.

 

The days leading up to Easter are a study of darkness and light. The spiritual darkness of Jesus’ passion and death on the cross culminated in physical darkness as the Gospel writers note, “From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land” (Matthew 27:45). But then came the dawn of Easter morning and the light returned.

 

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). We can choose to follow Jesus and live in His light or choose to remain in darkness. There is no middle ground because darkness cannot exist in the presence of light. Being a follower of Jesus isn’t a passive process. It requires listening to and then doing what He tells us to do.

 

Christians can sometimes find themselves in darkness when they have wandered away from Jesus to go their own way. The darkness may only be in a single area of their life that is in opposition to Jesus and His Word. Just as walking in physical darkness can put us in harm’s way, walking in spiritual darkness leaves us vulnerable to falls and attacks by Satan.

 

Isaiah prophesied, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn” (Isaiah 60:1-3).

 

Let’s resolve to live in the light of Christ, opening every part of ourselves to Him and dispelling the darkness within. May we bring that light to the world.

 

Happy Easter!