By: Charlie Grandy
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. - John 1:5
Do you ever feel like you’ve hit a patch of darkness, distracted from the absolute wonder of God’s creation? Maybe you find the daily news weighing you down. Perhaps you’ve felt the heaviness of those longer, gray winter days. Perhaps you’re using all the energy you have to meet the demands of over-scheduled demands or you’ve found yourself alone with more time than you prefer and all of it is making it hard to find the miraculous in life.
For some time, I’ve been reflecting on the nature of light (and darkness) and am simply astounded by its mind-bending characteristics. We know, for example, that light travels in a straight line (a property known as rectilinear propagation) and is a form of kinetic energy that contains tiny, bursting packets of fuel known as photons (sort of like those red pepper flakes for pizza that awaken your mouth in a moment). We know that light is actually produced by an acceleration of charged particles and can travel through a vacuum on its own; it literally doesn’t rely on anything else to make its way across the universe. And perhaps even more impressive, light travels at approximately 186,000 miles per second, the equivalent of traveling around the circumference of the Earth nearly 7.5 times per second.
To better visualize that speed, imagine that you decide to travel around the circumference of the Earth and start your adventure in South America at the equator in Macapa, Brazil. From there, you would have to travel (i) 3,921 miles across the Atlantic Ocean to Port-Gentil on the Western Coast of Africa; (ii) 3,205 miles across Africa to Kismayo, Somalia on the East Coast of Africa; (iii) 2,058 miles from Kismayo across the Indian Ocean to the Maldives Islands (southwest of the southern tip of India); (iv) 3,122 miles further across the Indian Ocean, past Malaysia and Singapore to Palu, Indonesia; (v) 10,771 miles from Palu, Indonesia over the massive Pacific Ocean to Quito, Ecuador (on the west part of South America); and finally (vi) 1,898 miles from Quito, Ecuador back to Macapa, Brazil. Now, do that 7.5 times in one second and you’d be moving like light!
But why do I dwell on the extraordinary nature of light? In short, because the Bible mentions light about 240 times! The Bible, for example, reminds us that God’s word is a “lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105) and that the “unfolding of your words gives light” and understanding (Psalm 119:130). The Bible tells us that the “Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1) and that “the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full light of day” (Proverbs 4:18). The Bible also recognizes that God has “made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God” (2 Corinthians 4:6) and encourages us to “arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you” (Isaiah 60:1).
What’s interesting about light is that the darker our surroundings, the more brilliant the light. Have you ever tried to search for stars in a downtown area, whether Indianapolis or New York City? And then compare your success finding stars in that setting to searching for stars in the mountains or a remote field in Indiana tucked away from city lights. There’s no comparison . . . the light of the stars appears clearest and most prominently in the darkness. Not only that, but have you ever noticed that when it’s dark outside and we’re looking for something, the darkness actually can compel us to concentrate and focus our attention in search of the light and its brilliance?
In other words, when we feel ourselves in the midst of a dark patch, that can be the very impetus we need to look more intently for the light until our eyes gradually adjust (like being at a planetarium) and see the light more clearly. Not only that, but recognize that darkness is actually defined as the “lack of illumination” or the “absence of light.” Bring a light to the party and there is no question of whether light or darkness wins.
We have the opportunity each day to experience the light of the world and to share that light with others (Matthew 5:14-16). If you’ve hit a dark patch, know you’re not alone, but rest assured that miraculous light is right around the corner and always overcomes the darkness.
