Shine On

It just leaves me in awe at how the smallest ray of light can pierce through the darkest room.

I love my home. It was built in the 60's and it sits on a hill overlooking the Edgewood Historic District in my city. Huge oak and pine trees surround it and I feel so cozy here. The only drawback is, with all the trees, there is simply not a lot of natural lighting. Not a problem, unless you have to get up in the middle of the night for a glass of water and your dogs have left their toys laying in the middle of the floor.

Since my surgery, I have to be very careful not to fall. So the before mentioned can be a bit of a problem. Recently, my dad replaced a burned out bulb in a tiny light above my kitchen sink. Before I go to bed at night, I always turn this light on; because, no matter how tiny this light is, it seems to cut through the darkness and shine through my entire home... 1577 square feet of home.

This past month has been pretty dark for me. Major surgery, damaged nerves (that I am told may never heal), talks of foreclosure from my bank, pain that seems to never end, and no chance of returning to work any time soon. Did I mention it can get pretty lonely when you live alone and can't drive or leave your home for more than about 4 hours at a time....Even if I could drive, I cannot walk for any long distances or sit/ride for periods of time greater than about 20 minutes. But when I open my eyes, I see flickers of light all around me.

Jesus said in John 8:12 "... "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

But Jesus no longer has a body of flesh... No, we are called to be the body of Christ... and this past month, I have seen His heart shining bright. His light shines in my mother who basically moved in to take care of me; my father, who has been making small repairs to my home and car and checking on me daily; my friends in their visits/cards/flowers and a number of other things that they have done to let me know I am in their thoughts.... a man from my church who has maintained the upkeep on my yard; the youth of my church who haven't stopped praying for me.... a dear friend from church who used the only free time she had that week to come and clean my home...my best friend Jess who makes me laugh till I cry... everyday for the last 5 weeks I have not failed to be blessed by the heart of Christ; too many things to list. With all of this light surrounding me, I can't see the darkness.

God, I thank you that I am not walking in the dark. Thank you God that no matter how dark the day, when I open my eyes I see your light shining. Thank you for giving me the Light of Life.