For those who walk in the light, it can be difficult to imagine walking in darkness. Of course, darkness is all around us, whether we see it all or not. But that’s not the kind of darkness I mean.
I walked in darkness for a long time. And not just your average, everyday darkness, the simple evidence of our fallen world. I’ve walked in some serious darkness, the depths of which I couldn’t have ever even imagined. I’m talking Hell on earth. I’m talking darkness so plagued by evil that it utterly consumed everything in its path. It very nearly consumed me.
That’s the nature of darkness. It spreads. It consumes. Darkness destroys.
Light Casts Out Darkness
Praise the goodness and grace of God, that Light can respond in a similar way. Light can spread. In fact, Scripture tells us that the Light has already triumphed. Isaiah 42:16 says, “I will turn darkness into light before them,” and John 1:5 says that “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not grasp it” (NASB).
When I was in that dark, dark place, I was sure I’d never get out. I was sure I deserved to be there. Truthfully, I know now that that kind of darkness is where we all belong, because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). But God has another plan for us. A better plan.
God sent His Son to the Cross, to die for our sins, for the darkness within us, so that we might be able to join Him, and walk in the Light. For Jesus Himself said, “I have come as Light into the world, so that no one who believes in Me will remain in darkness (John 12:46).
God Calls Us Out
Indeed, He did save me from that darkness. And much like the prisoners in Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave,” it brought me great pain, both descending into that darkness that I’d never imagined to exist, and ascending again out of that darkness. In fact, more than once I found myself running back to that darkness. Like John said, “The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). But God, again, caught me. He says, “For you were once darkness, but now your are light in the Lord; walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8).
Something called to me from that darkness, keeping me grounded in my identity, even before I became a Christian. Today I know that my identity is in Christ Jesus, but then I knew only that it wasn’t in the darkness around me. Though I did walk in darkness, the grace of God stopped it from consuming me. Others weren’t so lucky.
I will praise God every day that I’m no longer surrounded my that darkness. Today, I get to walk in the light. But Scripture calls us to do more. God wants us to spread that light to those around us. We’re His ambassadors. His soldiers here on earth. We’re called to continue actively fighting the darkness around us.
Our Duty to Walk in the Light
Matthew 5:16 says, “Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (NASB, emphasis added). As Marting Luther King, Jr. said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.”
In order to fight against the darkness of our fallen world, we must do more than walk in the Light. We must be the Light. We must empty ourselves completely of ourselves, and fill ourselves up with God’s Word and His Spirit. Christ’s Light must shine within us and burn so bright that it illuminates everything around us. We must live by that Light.
Today, and every day moving forward, I will be asking myself, “what have I done to let Christ’s light shine within me?” and “How can I be of service to God’s Kingdom today?”
Read more about My Journey to Salvation and When Life’s Tragedies Make Sense.
You may also enjoy these products in our shop: Don’t Worry About Tomorrow Tee and Where Sin Abounds Grace is More Notebook
And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
You can also join the conversation here by joining our Community Forum and our Social Media Page!
Emily is a Christian mother and blogger who lives in sunny Florida with her three children. She works full-time setting appointments at a home remodeling company and in her scarce free time she enjoys serving her fellow brothers and sisters in Christ however possible, and spending as much time in prayer, Bible reading and studying, and fellowship as possible. As a recovering addict, she has a heart for addiction ministry, and for creating things so she can give back to those who have need.