LIGHT WORK
Last week I talked about the cottage walks I took during my vacation. Now, if you read that piece, you will remember that I also talked about a section of that walk that was down a narrow lane in the midst of a heavily wooded area. The lane itself is wide enough for one vehicle to drive down. There are two or three places that you can pull over and let someone pass, but basically it's just a glorified cow path.
Now, bugs aside, you might think that such a lush lane surrounded on both sides with thick forest would be a quiet place of contemplation. Looking up and spying a sea of leaves, embracing above the lane, could have been an inspirational tapestry of shape and pattern. A setting such as this should have brought every devotional bone in my body to attention! I should have been able to walk with God in the garden, so to speak. But that wasn't the case!
You see, this stretch of my walk wasn't unpleasant just because of the horse flies and other buzzing beings. It was unpleasant because of the darkness. Most of my walks took place mid afternoon and by that time; the sun was positioned in such a way that the leaf cover seemed almost impenetrable. There were shadows and a few pockets of light, but not very much. Sure, away from the sun, it was cooler in there, but the coolness seemed clammy, as did the shadows and the dank smell of rotting wood and black earth that never sees enough light to dry out. There was life and beauty there, no doubt, but it was weighed down by the overall claustrophobic consequence of life without light. Maybe it was just the fifty or sixty times I've seen the Wizard of Oz and witnessed those scary, talking trees! I always found those trees scarier than the wicked witch, or even the flying monkeys! There is nothing more fearsome than nature with an attitude!
Well, after braving this shadow land for a few days, I finally decided to go for my walk midmorning. What a difference that made! After finishing the bulk of my walk, I once again entered the enchanted forest, but this time, I heard no trees whispering behind my back, nor did I see the menacing chipmunks (filling in for the flying monkeys) plotting my demise from behind the ferns. In fact, I thoroughly enjoyed my journey down the lane.
What made the difference? It was high noon and the sun was directly overhead. This meant that the sun was a penetrating force bouncing and kicking its way between the leaves; illuminating millions of little pockets until it finished its journey fully extended to the ground. The oppression was gone. The forest was welcoming. It was refreshing. It was downright bearable!
What a difference the light makes! Light can take an oppressive, scary path and turn it into a thing of beauty. Light can take something that looks like death and turn it into life. Light rescues us from our fears. True, light penetrates and exposes things as well, but then we can see them for what they really are! Some things we may not want exposed, but believe me, even our worst fears and sins can be overcome when they are exposed to the light. In the light there is reality. In the light there is relief.
"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all."(1 John 1:5)
"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light" (Ephesians 5:8)
If you have any thoughts or comments, please send me an email by clicking on my name at the bottom of this page and I promise to write back.
