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Oct 11, 2016

Are You Afraid of the Dark?

I’m kind of afraid of the dark! From the time we’re tiny tots, we’re taught in Sunday school to “be a light” for the world. But I was listening to Christian radio this afternoon and one of the DJ’s said that in this “dark world” today, we need to not be afraid of the dark, but rather to run into the darkness as a light!

I mean I almost had to pull over the car to fully process that. I still remember that day as a turning point for me! People are actually leaving social media since the election! And so much venom being spewed! Not only that! Murders! Hurricanes! Media Hype! Wars! Every kind of awfulness! The list just goes on and on, doesn’t it?!

I don’t believe the answer is to stick our heads in the sand and just pretend it’s not all happening. I also, because of my personality, want to do something — ANYTHING — to “fix” it all. And THAT is exhausting and depressing! And that causes me to lose sleep! So when I heard the entreaty to run into the darkness, it just about blew my mind!

Don’t just be a light —be the light of Christ — by how we live our lives, by how we love and respect every person we come in contact with. We are to shine that light to help others see their way out of a dark place they may be in. Shine it out into a world full of turmoil, disaster and fear. Shine it everywhere we go — in everything we do. Fearlessly!

It’s not trite or watered down, or even childishly simplistic, to be kind; to be polite; to offer aid to our neighbors; to donate to charity; to hold a door, to smile, and especially to pray. Jesus said, “. . . “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3 NIV).

But run into the darkness? Challenge it? Overcome it? That requires courage! That requires prayer and thoughtfulness, and determination. That requires that we fuel the flame within us every single day so that it burns brightly and doesn’t burn down. Run. Don’t faint or falter. Take the light with you! This dark world needs you! It needs all of us!