The dishwasher machine had been finished rinsing the dishes for about 15 minutes when I walked from the well-lighted living room into the dark kitchen. The light from the living room gave me just enough light to see to open the dishwasher door.
That’s strange, I thought, I don’t remember putting any orange plasticware in here. But there, on the bottom of the dishwasher lay a ring of what looked like dull, orange plastic. I reached down to pick it up, and instantly I knew what it was the electric drying element that was still hot! My skin stuck to it for a second or two, welded there by the intense heat. If only I’d turned on the light I never would have made that terribly painful mistake.
Darkness is scary! Anyone walking around in a dark room will bump into things or even trip and fall. And anyone working in a dark room will make mistakes. But there is another kind of darkness that is even more scary, and it covers the whole world. This darkness is caused by sin. And since we are living, each one of us has to walk and work in this evil darkness. But there is a light that we can have so we won’t trip or make awful mistakes. That light is the Lord Jesus Christ who loves us. He tells us in the Bible in John 12:4646I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. (John 12:46), “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on Me should not abide [remain] in darkness.” He is telling us that those who will come to Him, admitting their sin and believing that He died on the cross to wash them from their sins, will no longer walk in the darkness of this world. He is the light for us to follow, and the scariness is gone! He will guide us the rest of our lives.
I had two very badly burned fingers because I had not bothered to turn on the light. I jumped around the house with the pain, spraying on this and rubbing on that, but nothing helped. Then I remembered I’d frozen some small plastic jars of water. I grabbed one out of the freezer and clutched it tightly. It took the terrible burning out of my fingers and stopped the blisters from growing larger. A few hours later I went to bed, still clutching a jar of ice.
My fingers are better now, and I hope I’ll always remember to work in the light. But when we sin it’s not so easy to recover. Please don’t reach out for things in this sin-darkened world without first coming into the light. The Lord Jesus says, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:1212Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12). Will you accept Him as your Saviour and let Him light your way? He will never lead you in a wrong path.
ML-01/12/1992