"And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all."
1 John 1:4-5
I really like the connection here between joy and light, and the idea that the more light we gain, the happier we will be. ... I have to admit that I kind of enjoy darkness sometimes because it shuts out everything else and seems relaxing to me. In college I used to take walks at night down to a local playground and sit on the swings in the dark and just think. ... And although I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing to enjoy, perhaps it is still a touch symbolic, and as we move towards becoming like God, we will feel the need to shut things out less and less, and will be able to be more confident in handling all of the additional input that light brings.
As we read in 1 Nephi, Lehi's dream starts out with a mist of darkness and Lehi has to pray to find his way out--to light and joy. Even when people were on the path to the tree of life, they had to pass through darkness at times, and that's where the rod of iron would help them out, so they could still find their way. This helps us to understand that light in the scriptures represents more than just physical brightness and the ability to see with our eyes, but a spiritual brightness and the ability to sense with our souls/hearts, as well as darkness just representing obstacles and adversity sometimes. That spiritual kind of darkness in our lives isn't always a personal failing, but a challenge that we have to feel our way through by relying on God, who "is light" as this verse tells us.
Light also is often paired with knowledge, representing all of the things that we need to learn and understand and apply, making it seem kind of like the Spirit of Christ or the Holy Ghost, as the thing that guides us and helps us understand what we are learning, and shows us how it fits into the gospel and God's will. God's light chases away the shadows and the secrets, until there is no more need to hide, and nothing can surprise and hurt us. Eventually it will drive everything that is built on shadow and secrecy away, protecting us from people and groups that thrive on darkness and taking advantage of other people. When everything is revealed, as God has promised, I wonder how different our lives will be. Imagine a world without secrets. Probably a good reason to start working on honesty. :)
Today, let's move towards joy by embracing the light--reaching out to God, learning from him, becoming more like him, and relying on him even when our lives are shrouded in darkness, for he is the source of light, and joy, and everything good. With him we will become stronger and able to understand and be more than we could ever be alone, and the darkness will eventually be banished from our lives.
This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all."
1 John 1:4-5
I really like the connection here between joy and light, and the idea that the more light we gain, the happier we will be. ... I have to admit that I kind of enjoy darkness sometimes because it shuts out everything else and seems relaxing to me. In college I used to take walks at night down to a local playground and sit on the swings in the dark and just think. ... And although I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing to enjoy, perhaps it is still a touch symbolic, and as we move towards becoming like God, we will feel the need to shut things out less and less, and will be able to be more confident in handling all of the additional input that light brings.
As we read in 1 Nephi, Lehi's dream starts out with a mist of darkness and Lehi has to pray to find his way out--to light and joy. Even when people were on the path to the tree of life, they had to pass through darkness at times, and that's where the rod of iron would help them out, so they could still find their way. This helps us to understand that light in the scriptures represents more than just physical brightness and the ability to see with our eyes, but a spiritual brightness and the ability to sense with our souls/hearts, as well as darkness just representing obstacles and adversity sometimes. That spiritual kind of darkness in our lives isn't always a personal failing, but a challenge that we have to feel our way through by relying on God, who "is light" as this verse tells us.
Light also is often paired with knowledge, representing all of the things that we need to learn and understand and apply, making it seem kind of like the Spirit of Christ or the Holy Ghost, as the thing that guides us and helps us understand what we are learning, and shows us how it fits into the gospel and God's will. God's light chases away the shadows and the secrets, until there is no more need to hide, and nothing can surprise and hurt us. Eventually it will drive everything that is built on shadow and secrecy away, protecting us from people and groups that thrive on darkness and taking advantage of other people. When everything is revealed, as God has promised, I wonder how different our lives will be. Imagine a world without secrets. Probably a good reason to start working on honesty. :)
Today, let's move towards joy by embracing the light--reaching out to God, learning from him, becoming more like him, and relying on him even when our lives are shrouded in darkness, for he is the source of light, and joy, and everything good. With him we will become stronger and able to understand and be more than we could ever be alone, and the darkness will eventually be banished from our lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment