As I was walking down the stairs I came to the landing, but, because I was walking in the dark I paused, tentatively stretching my foot to see if I had indeed reached the landing or if I had one more to go.
Why was I stumbling in the dark?
Was the power out? No.
Was I trying to be stealthy? Ha! No.
Did I forget to turn the light on? No.
I was stumbling in the dark simply because that is the habit I have gotten into. At some point in my life I simply stopped turning lights on when walking through the house. It is a habit I continue today … one that is … stupid, possibly even harmful.
As I stretched my foot forward the other day a new thought emerged …
why do I walk in the dark,
when there is light at my fingertips?
Instantly I understood so much about myself, others, human behavior.
I saw, in my lifelong physical habit, the reason why we all stumble in spiritual darkness, even though the light of Christ is right there, illuminating our way through the life we live.
It’s habit.
It is simply what we do, over and over. Somehow a false sense of security comes from being blanketed in the dark we know … versus the light that is unfamiliar. Our eyes are closed by our routines. Our mind foggy with tradition. Our comings and goings shadowed by tradition.
We choose to walk in the dark, until …
one day, light a lightbulb going on in our minds,
we open our eyes
and see that there can be light in our life.
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said,
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.”
itsawonderfilledlife 