Light and Dark

Here's a little epiphany I had during Family Bible Reading one night. It was awhile ago, so hopefully I'll get it all down correctly. So here's how my train of thought went:

You don't have to live in the world to know that it's bad, just like you don't have to drink sour milk on a regular basis to know that the sip you just took is sour. But at the same time, seeing what you've been saved from makes your salvation all the more sweet and miraculous, so how do the two fit together?

You can't see the stars during the day, because everything surrounding them is light. But put them up against the night sky and they shine. You can't see a candle's flame in the daylight because there is nothing for it to illumine. But light it in a dark room and it's brilliant.

The longer we stand in light-less dark, the more our eyes become accustomed to it. And the more light hurts. In the darkness, everything is gentle and all imperfections are hidden; but the light is sharp, it hurts our eyes and shows us things we do not want to see.

It also shows us that we're headed off the edge of a cliff.

I hope that all of this is able to be understood. To summarize: a godly life in an ungodly world stands out, and the more time you spend away from God, the harder it is to return.

There's a reason Jesus is called the Light of the world (Jn 8:12). And there's a reason His followers are as well (Mt. 5:14).

This all might be extremely old news for other Christians, and I guess in a way it is for me as well, but sometimes the Lord just shows you things, at least that's how it is with me.

This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine.
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine;
Let it shine, let it shine,
Let it shine.

Or at least I pray that I am.