The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out.  John 1: 5

Strike a match and it flashes in a darkened room, but dark piled upon dark can’t swallow up the flame. All the darkness in the world can’t snuff out the light of even a single candle.

My life has had times of darkness—maybe yours has, too. Health crises, relationship challenges, blinding fears, times when futility invited me to give up…but something wouldn’t let me. It was as if a tiny little pilot light of hope somewhere within me flickered and sputtered, but never went out completely. There was no possible way that I could keep it alive on my own. I was blessed with friends and family who fanned the flame—but there was one time when even their love and support seemed insufficient. I felt alone in the darkness, and yet, day after weary day, Someone kept that light going enough to keep me putting one foot in front of the other. Days turned into weeks. The crisis passed, the mood lifted, and the light shone brighter again.

Today, from the other side of the situation, that darkness seems like a faded, distant memory. But walking through it without knowing how it would turn out made the darkness all the more oppressive. It was not me who got through that ordeal, and although I could never have made it through without my loved ones, it was not their support alone that enabled me to endure. My heart knows it was the Light that shines in the darkness, and that all the darkness in the world can never put out.

Prayer:  Praise to You, Lord of Light

Reflection for sharing: Where today do you most need the Light to shine? Where can you allow your light to shine for others?