Living in the Light
When most people think of the city of Seattle, they think of rain. This makes sense since the city has a consistent rainy season for several months. The weather of Seattle took some time for me to get used to when I first moved here, especially since we didn't have an overhead light in our living room. Our place would be dark, and the gloominess of the outdoors made me crave more light. So when we added some string lights to our ceiling, our place became brighter and my mood did as well. But even with these lights, I still longed for the sun to break through the gloom and grey.
On the days when the sun makes a surprise appearance or when my weather app reveals a clear forecast, I can't wait to go outside and walk in the sun. My joy over these special days makes me think of how much we need light as humans. In fact, science confirms how the human body needs light, especially the sun. But while there is a physical and mental connection to light, there is a spiritual connection as well.
We were not designed to live in darkness. From the very beginning, God used His voice to bring forth light, which broke through the darkness of the world. And even though He formed the rhythm of both day and night, God created the sun and the moon to give the earth consistent light.
When we journey through the pages of Scripture, we learn how darkness symbolizes sin, evil, and judgment, whereas light symbolizes holiness, righteousness, and salvation. These symbols reveal how God's once perfect creation is now tainted by sin. Even in the night, without sin, creation did not know true darkness. But when Adam and Eve sinned, the darkness of sin entered the world, separating us from our one true light.
Without God, we are left stumbling around in the dark, fumbling toward any semblance of light.
Yet, the story of the gospel reminds us that God does not leave His creation in darkness. Just as God used His voice to break through the darkness, so did He use the Word, Jesus, to break through our darkness.
John 1:3–5 tells us how in Jesus is life and "that life was the light of men. That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it." Though the darkness of sin is heavy, it cannot overpower the light of Jesus. By His grace, Jesus gives us the life that is the light of men. The darkness that covered the land during His death spoke to the judgment that He took on so we could be free. And three days later, in the light of early morning, Jesus rose from the grave, declaring His victory over sin and death.
The gospel declares how God is a God who brings light from the darkness. By His grace and mercy, the "God who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God's glory in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6). No longer do we walk in the darkness of sin, for Jesus has "called out of darkness and into his marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9).
On the days when the sun breaks through the clouds, I am reminded of the goodness and faithfulness of God. I am reminded how darkness does not have the final say, so when I feel the weight of sadness, I know it is not here to stay. God's creative hand causes sunny days to return, even in the gloomy rainy season. This shows us that we will not live in this broken world forever. For those of us in Christ, one day we will experience the Son breaking through the clouds, coming to remove darkness once and for all.
This future reality encourages us to persevere through not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually dark days and seasons. Even on dark days, the light of Christ still shines. Whenever we feel the weight of sadness, we can draw near to Scripture and be filled with the warmth of God's Word. We can turn to the final pages of the Bible and be reminded of our future to come. We can be reminded of the day we will dwell in a city that does need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb (Revelation 21:23–24). For one day, the same God who called us out of darkness will dwell with us, and we will walk in His light forever.
