I was getting ready to shave this morning and I was so sleepy I didn’t even turn on the bathroom light. We have one of those foggy, can’t see through, windows in our bathroom and there was just enough light to go ahead and shave, so I did. About halfway through the shave I thought, “Man I’m looking younger every day!” I didn’t see near the wrinkles I had before and thought there was some fountain of youth going on in my body when I remembered. “I don’t have the light on!” You know the end to this story. I turned on the light and walked back over to the mirror and there it was….reality! The wrinkles were still there. My hair was still thinning. The rest you can guess. So I did what any full blooded
American male would do. I turned the light back off! I’m no dummy…
It’s amazing what light can do when it is introduced into a situation. All of the hidden things that poor lighting can hide are all of a sudden exposed. Those things you thought were gone, are not gone at all.
I remember when HD TV first came out and quite a few of the movie stars were concerned because the image was so clear that it showed all the good and bad things about their faces. With the right lighting, the real truth came out about their looks. For the ones who were natural beauties it only enhanced their looks. But the ones who were marginal and used makeup to make them look better, it was tough.
Adding light to anything has a way of taking away the shadows and helps us and others see the real me more clearly. Jesus addressed this light issue by saying in John 8:12, “I am the world’s light. No one who follows me stumbles around in the darkness. I provide plenty of light to live in.” So the same light that shows us our real selves is also the light that shows us the way to live a victorious life. What a great light He is!! Conclusion: Allowing that light to show us our imperfections will change our attitude and outlook about His light leading us to a better way of living. That’s just the way it is (ala Bruce Hornsby). Jesus went on to say in John 12:36, “As you have the light, believe in the light. Then the light will be within you, and shining through your lives. You’ll be children of light.” Sometimes we can get lured into an alter reality, where we think everything is great when it isn’t. His light shows us the true reality and His truth sparks more of the same thing. In John 3:21 Jesus said, “But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is.” Light begins a synergetic process that starts to positively affect every area of a believer’s life and our thoughts and impressions start to change us internally. Then the light begins to shine through each of us and others can see it is God!!
So, if you are getting used to looking at yourself in bad lighting, then it’s time to change. Turn on the God-light and see just how much more good stuff is in the room with you and how much more God wants to show you. If you will do that, then you are living in God’s reality and that reality is driven by His light. In John 9:39 Jesus said, “I came into the world to bring everything into the clear light of day, making all distinctions clear, so that those who have never seen will see, and those who have made a great pretense of seeing will be exposed as blind.” If you know Christ, you are not blind. So……don’t live like it. Live in His light and see the world for what it really is. Lights, Camera, Reality!!
The Pilgrimage continues…..
David Warren