Be the light

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it- John 1:1-5 NIV. 

  Last night as I left work to go to a Christmas Eve service, the night just seemed a little darker and it was almost soul crushing.  Maybe because it was a lack of sun the last several days or being exhausted from work being so busy the last few days or any other number of reasons. This week seemed a little darker from a highschool acquaintance dying because of health issues or parents losing their elementary age daughter to cancer three days before Christmas. So what is our response in a season that is usually filled with joy and happiness comes at us hard and in ways that are dark, dirty and soul crushing.

  Here are some random thoughts to when we are in a soul crushing season. The first thought is that it a season, and don’t let it become a lifestyle. It’s realizing and even embracing the suck, but at some point we need to heal and grow from the situation. We won’t be the same but hopefully we will come out more mature and we won’t let the suck run our lives and live rent free in our head. 

  My second thought is Jesus is eternal and a part of the Trinity. I feel that the first three verses harken back to the Creation Story. There are plenty of theological implications but the ones I want to focus on on is this, creation and creativity are apart of Gods nature. The other aspect is that because the Trinity is relational and The Trinity created all things so the could share the relationship they have with each other with their creation. Not only that but we are to share that community with each other. So when we are going through the suck or through that soul piercing darkness, we are not to to it alone but we are to find that group of people who love God to walk along with you. 

  My third thought is that when we are in said darknesss, it’s time for some self examination. Is God trying to get our attention or are there things that we are doing that we shouldn’t be and are there things that we aren’t doing that we should be? Even though God may be distant, continue to seek His face.  even if we pull a Job and demand and get our day in court with God, we still need to be willing to listen and obey. 

  My final thought is this, further up in the Gospel in John, Jesus makes the claim that He is the light of the world. The good thing about Jesus being the light is that not only darkness can not over come it, but Jesus light exposes all truth and intention. God also calls us to be a light in a dark world filled with hurt, disappointment and sin. God called us to be a lighted candle. By ourselves we don’t light up much of a dark room, but when joined together with other candles the space lights up and the darkness disappears