Come into the Light

I truly believe my dog can tell the time. Every morning at 7am, she sits by our front door and starts whining to be taken for her first walk of the day. The problem with this is that South Africa does not have day light saving, so in winter 7am is still pretty much dark.

Although our walking path does have some lighting, its coverage is limited to only certain areas of the grass. However, my dog always insists on doing her business in the darkest part of grass, which has forced me to carry a torch to see, to pick up after her.

This morning ritual made me think of how often we too like to do our ‘dirty business’ in the dark. We keep these dark secrets about ourselves and our lives from others, hoping no one will see them.

However, I’ve discovered that it only needs a tiny speck of light to invade the darkness. When we stop hiding and get vulnerable enough to reveal our inner, darkest secrets with someone we can trust, it frees us of the shame and guilt that we have been carrying.

Coming into the light to live an authentic life, without pretending, without any secrets, is the only way we will ever find peace and joy. So today, ask yourself if there is some darkness in you that needs God’s light to shine through. Only when we are touched by God’s light, can we shine His light for others. It is God’s light that illuminates our path and guides our steps in the direction He wants to take us.