True Dark vs. True Love
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. -John 1:5
Have you ever experienced real darkness? I am not talking about a dark room inside your house or even the darkness of the night sky. When I was younger, my family took a trip to Mammoth Cave. It was incredible. It is like a whole other world in the cave. I do not remember this trip completely, but there was one moment in particular that I remember very well. At one point in the tour, the guide had everyone turn off their flashlights one by one until all that was left was his lamp. When he turned off his lamp, I experienced real darkness. It was darker than any darkness I had ever experienced before.
There are other types of darkness that we all experience in our lives. Maybe it is the feeling of darkness after missing out on an experience of some kind. Maybe it is the feeling of darkness of not knowing what to do in life. Or maybe it is the darkness that comes from losing a loved one or even the thought of losing someone.
The good news is that we can overcome any darkness in our lives. God loves us deeply, and in fact, we know from scripture that God is love. So, what does love do, when love sees the beloved in trouble? Love says your debts will be my debts, your darkness will be my darkness, your death will be my death. Love comes down as Jesus to be with us in the darkness, and to take that darkness on Himself. He took the darkness that we deserved on the cross, he took it away, then he rose from the dead, and he gives us his light and life and love, if we accept Him.
Going back to the tour of Mammoth Cave when I was younger: when it was completely dark, another tour guide had stepped away to a different part of the cave much farther away. Once he was in position, he turned his lamp on, and it was incredible to witness the contrast of the light vs the darkness. It was comforting, refreshing, and powerful. Jesus, God the Son, is that light to us, and as Christians, we should be that light to the world.