REFLECTIONS ON LIGHT (Part 1)
LIGHT: noun. something that makes things visible or affords illumination.
In this season of Chanukah and Christmas, we celebrate LIGHT. Jews remember the miraculous lighting of the menorah when one day’s oil lasted for eight days. Christians celebrate the birth of Yeshua (Jesus), the Light of the World. Both refer to God’s power and glory manifested through light.
The first words we see about LIGHT are the first of God’s words recorded in scripture.
“And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.” — Genesis 1:3-4
Speaking of light, I have to mention my favorite miracle story. It’s from the book of John, chapter 9. It’s the story of the healing of the man born blind.
It’s a very long miracle story, full of disciples who missed the point, hypocrites who were only interested in stopping the Nazarene, and one man, born blind, who surely had no hope of ever receiving the gift of sight.
Yeshua explained to his disciples that the man was born blind not because of his sin or his parents’ sins, but so that God’s glory could be manifested through this man. Then Yeshua declared “I am the light of the world” and proceeded to heal the blind man.
The men who opposed Yeshua didn’t like this one little bit, so they tried to disparage the miracle by claiming this man wasn’t really blind to begin with. They even brought in the man’s parents and tried to intimidate them into saying he wasn’t their son. Finally, you can almost feel the tension as they tried to turn the healed man against Yeshua. “Don’t you know this man is a sinner?” they asked.
Then the man who was healed utters one of my favorite statements in all of scripture. He said, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”
Though I was blind, now I see.
“The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;” — Isaiah 9:2a
In many ways, we’re all born blind. As we learn and grow, we catch glimpses of the truth, as through a glass darkly, but we’re fooling ourselves if we think we understand all of God’s truth. We need God’s healing miracle in our lives just as the man born blind needed it. Without God to open our eyes, we’re likely to grope around in the darkness and fall into a ditch. It’s the wise person who knows that he relies on God for his understanding.
What can we as writers do to reflect God’s light through our work? How can we be helpers in spreading His truth to a dark world?
“Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.” – Psalm 119:105
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY CHANUKAH!
John 1:4 “In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” There are sooooo many verses about light, and they are all so good, and so applicable.
I also love this particular story about the blind man, but there are others. In Matthew 20:30-34, Jesus healed two blind men, “and they followed him.” What’s cool is that in this case–and in the case of the man in John 9, if memory serves–in each case, when the blind men were healed, they followed Jesus, which says to me they used their newfound sight for him.
And that is what I would like to do.
Mel, you are so right. There are many verses that speak to light, and when we consider what light means to us, it’s overwhelming.
Your insights into the craft of writing continue to shine light for those of us who are trying to find our way. Thank you!
Kay, it just occurred to me–call me slow!–that this cool blog dealing with light is being put out there during the great Jewish holiday that is totally devoted to light–Hanukkah. 🙂 Thanks for this blog!
Thank you for sharing such a lovely and very powerful post! A beautiful devotional piece indeed! I, too, love the blind man’s response: “One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” Thank You to the Lord for showing us His light!
Barbara, thanks for your comments. You have shone light into our world of writing, and we are so grateful.
I just read this story – what struck me were the same words. The healed man focused on what he knew…the others on their ?’s. May be a lesson here! Thanks so much.
Gail, thanks for your comment. Having eyes that see is a blessing indeed!