Devotions

Light Within Darkness

A couple months ago, I was riding on a train heading towards an interview. I have being riding the train quite frequently to get around Brisbane, but this particular day I was traveling to a location I had not yet been to. As a lover of all things nature, I looked out the window to take in some of the beautiful landscapes the city has to offer. 

Unexpectedly, we entered a tunnel, and of course, all went dark. This is nothing new, yet at that particular moment I noticed a change in my visual perspective. When the view went dark, I was still looking out the window; but rather than being able to see what lay beyond the window, I could only see the scratches and blemishes on the window. 

You see, these scratches and blemishes were always on the window, yet in the light I did not even realize they were there. When the train passed through the tunnel and the light reappeared, the scratches and blemishes became minor as I could focus on what lay beyond them. 

In the darkness, I focused on the mess.

In the light, I could focus on the beauty beyond the mess. 

These two images were captured at the same seat on
the same train. In the darkness, I could only see the
scratches, blemishes and inward reflection.
In the light, the scratches and blemishes appeared
non-existent as I could look beyond them. 

Our human nature leads to inevitable mistakes. We will be hurt along the way, bearing scars of emotional trauma, of a back-stabbing friend, of a temptation that never leaves. The truth is, darkness does exist; yet we have the choice of where our focus lies. In his recently published book, Spiritually Transmitted Diseases, Pastor Mark Ramsey writes "our reality is determined by our perception and our perception is determined by what we believe." 

We all pass through difficult, seemingly dark days along this journey of life. During these dark days, it is significantly more challenging to remain hopeful and to see the light beyond the tunnel. Why? Because the darkness reminds us of the blemishes of life; without light, we just focus on the mistakes, the regrets, the hard times. 

Let me give you a personal example: Initially arriving in Australia, I found it somewhat challenging to receive steady supply teaching work. There were weeks when I would work 1 or 2 days, if at all, and I had absolutely no idea what to do with myself. Unfortunately, it became far too easy to sit on the couch and allow my initial disappointment to spread into anxiety, into negative thoughts and emotions about my past, into questioning God, into tears. A very negative snowball effect. 

When things are going well, it is easy to rejoice, praise God, and be thankful. It's a completely different ball game trying to have the same response when darkness comes and you cannot see past the window. You see, it is easy to focus on the blemishes during the darkness; yet, just because we may be in a temporary state of darkness, we still believe in the light. 

Unlike infants who have not yet developed object permanence, when we enter a tunnel on the train and darkness surrounds, we understand that light still exists. Just because we cannot at that present time see the light, life has proved to us that the reality of light remains. Light will once again come upon us. 

Life is a roller coaster adventure with the mixture of happiness and hardships, yet there is eternal hope in Jesus who tells us, "I am the light of the world" (John 9:5). Even during the darkest of days, there is no need to focus on the blemishes of life because my blemish-free Lord "lightens my darkness" (Psalm 18:28).  He alone can turn darkness into light, turn sorrow into dancing, turn uncertainty into hope. In the midst of it all, He reminds me of the beauty of life. 

Our belief - or lack thereof - in Jesus as our light determines our perception of life, which determines our reality. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reminds us that "The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness" (Matthew 6:22-23). 

What does your eye perceive?

When you look out the window of your life, what do you see?

Kingdom to Nothingness

Main Passage: Daniel 2:24-45

Key Passage: Daniel 2:44

“During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever.”

Daniel had the beautiful privilege of explaining King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream to him. Just as God wanted the king to understand what was in his heart and to know what would happen in the future, so too God wants to reveal our hearts to us. 

In the dream, the destruction of the statue symbolizes the end of one kingdom, and the rising of another. It is a cycle that continues until God shows up and sets up his indestructible, eternal kingdom. We see the cycle of kingdom powers in the political realm across the world, yet I believe that these destructible kingdoms also exist in our spiritual lives.

What kingdom controls you? Who or what have you made king in your life?

Take the monarchy for example. Millions of people around the world follow the royal family, identifying Kate's fashion pieces and then purchasing it themselves; spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on royal baby apparel for its future value; magazines are devoted to royal families details which the general public quickly scoops up from stores across the world. Think of the the media employees who go to extremes to receive the inside scoop. 

Ironically, this British kingdom can easily become a kingdom over our lives. Too much of a focus. Perhaps the royal family is not an interest of yours (it certainly does not interest me) but what about celebrities, your friends, your family? Do other people - their words, their lifestyles - control your life? 

What about technology? Are there TV shows, sports broadcasts, or cell phones that take up too much of your attention? If we are honest with ourselves, most of us follow sports more than we follow God. Honestly reflect on your life and ask yourself: "What is controlling my life?"

Am I allowing my life to be dictated by the shows on TV or by the people I live with? 

Or regardless of the world around me, are my actions in life based on the King of kings? 

In my high school years, food was my kingdom. It controlled how I felt, who I hung out with, how I performed at school. I become obsessed what I put in my body, yet by allowing my life to be controlled by this temporary kingdom, I endangered my soul. Thankfully, God helped to destroy that kingdom over me, yet as in the dream, a second one rose to power: words. 

We know from Scripture that there is power in the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). Words can have a significant effect on others, yet, even greater still, I allowed other people’s words to control my emotions, my attitude, my self-esteem.

A couple years ago I wrote a brief poem that captured this kingdom:

Sharp words linger

Defeating words rise

Discontent finds its way

Immersed in the lies.

Words are kingdoms

Keeping reign of thought

Mortalizing the mind

In the fiercest war fought.

Satan knows our weak spots and he targets them like a pesty sibling poking a bruise on our body. It distracts us. He changes our focus from THE kingdom to temporary kingdoms that offer us no great value. 

The cycle of one kingdom coming to an end and another rising to power will continue until God becomes King over your life. I have to daily hand my life over to the kingdom of God so that the actions I make are based on what is good, what is true, and what is eternal, not what is temporary and distracting. 

This week I challenge you to hand over your every day to the King of kings. Intentionally reflect on what other kingdoms may be controlling your life. Ask God to give you awareness to identify these kingdoms and spiritual strength to defeat them. 

With love, 
Jen