Have you ever heard something in the middle of the night and you lied in bed frozen. You held your breath, hoping that you wouldn’t hear anything. And then there was that sound again. That sound could be an unknown creak downstairs, a whimper of a sleeping baby, a whine of a new puppy, a drip of a leaky faucet, or simply some sound you can not identify. Whatever the sound, you secretly were hoping, perhaps even praying that it would go away. But it wouldn’t. You have a choice, roll over and pretend you are asleep and hope someone else addresses the sound coming from the dark or you get up and turn on some lights and go find out how to resolve the noise from the dark.
Our lives are made up of numerous unexpected sounds from the darkness that we get to choose to bring light to or to simply avoid. An unexpected sound may be a sudden relationship conflict, a personal habit that has turned destructive or addictive, a wave of loneliness, a season of anger and bitterness, a fear, or a tidal wave of insecurity and uncertainty. When we are living our lives and seemingly out of nowhere a sound comes from the darkness many of us freeze and many of us tend to work hard at keeping the things that are in the dark, in the dark. After weeks, months, seasons of ignoring or keeping the things that are echoing from our darkness, many of us will end up stalled in life, the area that were once alive and energizing, are now dying and maybe even become burdens.
God is the author of light and regularly talks about the battle between darkness and light. When sin came into the world, so did darkness. Darkness comes in all shapes and sizes. Pain, disappointment, evil and malicious actions, depression, isolation, hopelessness, insecurity, anger, and so much more are all shades of darkness. God loves the world and hates darkness so much that in John 3:19 it says that God sent His light into the world – not only to save the world, but to bring freedom and power to it. We all struggle with our own noises from the darkness, but we don’t have to stay frozen and we don’t have to leave the noises in the darkness. Fear screams at us that we don’t want the noise from the darkness exposed because we are embarrasses by it, because it may be bigger than we can handle, or if we bring it into the light, we will have to deal with it. I encourage you to identify what noise from the darkness is screaming at you and then to believe that bringing it into the light is better than leaving it alone.
TRUTH About Light
- Light brings Truth – Light brings truth to the situation. The crying baby had a dirty diaper and all she needed was a quick change. The dripping noise that heard turned out to be a broken pipe and if you hadn’t addressed it immediately would have turned into a flooded basement. Light always brings Truth, even if that truth isn’t what you want to admit or deal with. Don’t be afraid of the truth. When you know the truth of the situation, you can begin to deal with it.
- Light brings reality — That sound that you thought was an axe murderer prowling around your first floor, when the lights were switched on, turned out to be a piece of paper being blown around by a fan. Light brings reality, on the other hand fear and the unknown usually breeds amplification and exaggeration. The noise from your darkness may not be as bad as you think it is, it may not ruin your life like you fear. Bring light to it and get a reality check.
- Light brings clarity – Light always brings clarity to the situation. When you turn on the lights, it is clear that you were frozen and timid. The light may expose a burglar, a mouse running across the floor, an open window that allows a breeze to rock the blinds, or an energetic puppy wanting to play. Light will always bring clarity, even if the clarity isn’t what you had hoped for, it gives you an opportunity to move with boldness and strength.
- Light brings freedom – When you bring light into a dark noise, it brings freedom. That sound in the middle of the night can keep you up for hours or at the very least cause you to have a disrupted rest, but when you turn on the lights, deal with whatever the noise is, the peace that you receive is amazing and you find yourself getting a great rest of the night sleep. I know many times we don’t want to address the noise that comes from the dark places of our lives, but I will guarantee you the peace and rest that you crave is only found when you bring it into the light, work through it and let God help you with it will be worth it. Bringing light to it won’t likely be easy, but it will be worth it.
Darkness is increasing in our world. Fear is advancing. The noises from our darkness are only going to get louder until we begin or restart turning the lights on. Fear has stolen so much potential in people, but the light has restored more. Wherever you find yourself, I invite you not to look to the darkness of your present or your past for your identity, but instead look towards the light as your future identity. Take a risk, get up in the midst of darkness and turn some more light on in your life.