Darkness and Light

It is easy to become distracted by our current circumstance or plight. We can allow our surroundings to become what is happening to us. Instead we should see that in each situation we have the power to make a difference. 

We are light, called to shine in the midst of darkness.

I need to pause real quick here... 

Sometimes, God will give us a chance to live out a principle that He is teaching us, other times God will give us a chance to live out that principle while we are writing about it, in a blog. 

This morning, as I was sitting down and writing this blog, a local man walked into our church. He was quite drunk and pretty clearly agitated. 

Long story short, he got violent and attacked me. I tried talking to him, and even started to walk him out of the church so he could go home and sleep it off. Unfortunately it didn't work out that way. Eventually the police had to be called, and he was taken away. 

I share this because, the truth of living as light in darkness isn't clean and simple. Sometimes the hurt and difficulty of this world will come crashing violently into our face. 

I came in to work today prepared. Prepared to write a message, prepared to counsel with people who had set their appointments, and prepared to work on the plans and future of our church. 

I was not prepared for this man. 

Yet I found that as his brokenness, anger, and hurt showed through, he needed me, and needed Jesus, just like anyone else.

We don't get to choose the circumstances we walk through, but we do get to choose how we respond to them.

Let me encourage you, let your light shine in all circumstances. 

When it feels like this world is coming at you quicker than you can respond, choose to be light. 

When circumstances seem to be completely unfair and there seems to be no way out, choose to be light. 

Even in the worst circumstances, God can show His love through you and me. 

When it is completely black with darkness, that is when light does its best work.