A reading from Psalm 27:
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?”
Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night and felt creeped out? When we moved into our new home a couple of years ago, I would wake up to random sounds that I didn’t notice in our previous home. On occasion, I would hear creaking floorboards, ruffling paper, and even the occasional item falling over. Waking up in the darkness of night and hearing these noises got my mind racing. However, I soon discovered that our cat Emma was the culprit. She was busy exploring our new home.
Image by Oscar Keys from Unsplash.com
Darkness in the middle of the night keeps us from seeing things as they really are. Especially, if we allow the darkness to play with our imagination. Similarly, the spiritual darkness in our world can also keep us from seeing things as they really are. More importantly, spiritual darkness can keep us from seeing goodness in others and in the greater world.
We all experienced spiritual darkness to some extent. Five years ago, I noticed I was facing a lot of anxiety and fear when I was glued to my Facebook and Instagram feeds. I was consumed by the never ending debates in comment sections and political click bates. One time I was having a debate with an old classmate of mine for two days straight on Facebook. I remember being on a date with my wife and all I could think about was what he would say next and how I would respond. I was blinded from seeing the goodness that was in front of my very eyes. That night I made the decision to delete all my social media accounts. The days following were like a breath of fresh air. More importantly, God’s goodness in my life became a lot clearer.
So I ask you, what are the things in your life that are keeping you in darkness. Is any of it in your control?
Let us pray,
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Father God, thank You for loving me. Thank you for being patient with me for the times I willfully blind myself from seeing Your goodness. Holy Spirit, bring healing into my life and open my eyes to seeing Christ. Inspire me with the discipline and fortitude to take control of the things in my life that are keeping me in darkness. I pray this in Your name. Amen.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
