The Purpose of Light and Dark

I'm a dark chocolate fan.  I really don't like white chocolate much at all, but the intensity and bitterness of the dark chocolate is such a great foil to the sweetness.  But this blog isn't about chocolate.  :)  I recently read this concerning light and dark, and I admit it's just beginning thoughts, but I'll restrain myself to these initial observations:

"God spoke: "Light!" and light appeared.  God saw that light was good and separated light from dark."

then this....

"God is light and in Him is no darkness at all"

then this..

"The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it.  The Lamb is its light..."

If God is light, and light is good, why the darkness? There will come a day when there will be no more darkness.  Can you imagine that?  Nothing hidden, nothing scary, all illumined.  But in the meantime, we live with darkness as a part of our existence.

What if darkness was given to us to continually put us in the tension of choosing light?

Perhaps darkness is the test that leads to our testimony.

What if the church wasn't made to "be perfect" in the first place, but to grow into perfection? 

I once was afraid of the dark, but no longer.  At one time I settled within myself that God created everything, and I trust Him, so I am not afraid.  I don't always like the dark, I like to see clearly, but being in the dark has taught me some things:

• I have learned to look for the light and to move towards it
• I have learned to keep focused on it so I don't lose sight of it
• I have learned to carry light with me in case I encounter darkness
• I have learned that God is in the dark as much as He is in the light and I needn't fear
• I have learned to use my other senses when in the dark - we are so visually dependent, that our other senses sometimes become dull

 Jesus came to give sight to the blind, to bring light to their darkness.  There's a world that loves darkness and hides in it, that shrinks back from the light, but it's light they need.  It's light we are called to walk in, light we are called to broadcast as "cities on a hill" or "lamps on a lampstand". 

This is my encouragement today - don't be afraid of the dark, but embrace the light, run towards it, hold onto it, and spread it around. 

It's too easy to focus on what's dark.  Let's focus on the light and see it push back the darkness!