Go Toward the Light!

John 8:12 "Jesus spoke and said, 'I am the Light of the world. If you follow Me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the Light that leads to life."

I like having plants in my home, but I do not have a green thumb. On the contrary, I am the antithesis of a green thumb, which thesaurus.com says is a brown thumb. That’s funny!

Nevertheless, I have one plant in particular that is a fighter. This green leafy vine has dutifully lived in a parrot planter for over three years now and survived my sporadic attention. I water it when I remember, and sometimes I’ll say something nice like, “Thank you for not dying.” Sometimes I am insensitive and will say, “I can’t believe you’re still here!” But I noticed something remarkable the other day: The entire plant was leaning in one direction, and I finally figured out that it was sun-starved.  In an effort to revive itself – (because I am no help) – it was reaching toward the bright and beautiful light.

What need do you have right now? Do you need peace in your weary heart? Do you need joy in your family? Do you need help in making a decision? Do you need health in your mind, body, and/or soul? God has bright and beautiful things for us, and the way to invite that into our lives is by doing what my little plant did: Revive yourself, and go toward the Light.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We lean into You right now through prayer. We need Your guidance and wisdom; thank You that we DO NOT HAVE TO WALK IN DARKNESS.   Give us clarity of mind and shine Your light into our lives. In Jesus’ name, AMEN~

Never Live in the Dark~

John 8:12 "Jesus said, 'I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will have a life filled with light and will never live in the dark."

Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida almost 24 years ago on August 24, 1992.  I remember it well.  Jorge, the kids, my grandparents, and I rode it out in a bedroom in the back of the house.  Jorgie was five days shy of his fifth birthday, and slept through the whole terrifying ordeal. Miss Rayray's second birthday was a week away, and she, quite uncharacteristically, sat very unnervingly still in my laps, eyes wide open, as the wind hooped and hollered. 

For the glory of God, our house was still standing after it all ended. The worst for us was no electricity for three weeks; our house was in complete darkness.  Adding to the difficulty was that Jorge left several of the plywood planks up on the windows as an added measure of security. 

Those few weeks were challenging in that all of us - even baby Rayray - experienced our fair share of stubbed toes, bruised knees, and stumbles to the ground.  At one point our two flashlights went kaput, and all the local stores were sold out of batteries.  Trust me when I tell you that candles were inadequate in such pitch blackness.  We celebrated like wild dingoes when the lights came back!

Living in the darkness was no fun and at times dangerous.  The darkness forced us to take tentative steps, and even then there was no guarantee that obstacles could be avoided.

God knows this, which is why He sent the Light that outshines all other light.

When we follow our Jesus, when we pray, when we trust His word, when we reach out to Him with our praise and worship, when we do things His way, we will NEVER LIVE IN THE DARK! What a power-packed promise.

Our lives will be filled with light, with clarity, radiance, and resplendence.  Bright and beaming, letting Christ lead the way, our existence will be unclouded, unconstrained, and uncluttered. 

Excuse me while I do a happy dance!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, You are the Light of the world and the light of our lives.  Shine powerfully in our lives and bless us with wisdom and joy.  We take You at Your word and rejoice that as we follow You, we will NEVER live in the dark. In Jesus' name, AMEN!