“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
— Psalm 119:105
Above is pictured my insanely-bright headlamp on my motorcycle. This is on low-beam, and you can see its potential to light up the night. You cannot even see me, but I am in fact sitting on the bike. What does this tell you about the way light works in our lives? Wherever it isn’t shining, something could be lurking there, looking straight at you and you don’t even know it.
Look again! This time I’ve turned the brightness WAY up. You can start to see my arms, the mirrors, and the rest of me come ever so faintly into view.
Some may look at that from a purely scientific point of view, but I think it has a much deeper meaning than that. In a car, or on a motorcycle, light in the darkness can reveal great trouble ahead, or even minor bumps in the road that we could not have avoided if we were simply riding around in the pitch black cover of night. Wherever our light shines, we are able to travel more safely and securely than before. The same can be said for our walk with Jesus. Without Him and the Holy Spirit shining within us, we are aimlessly walking around in the dark. We try to reach our destination, but we hit a multitude of bumps in the road that we could have swept around had we only known. At minimum, we could have negotiated the hazard more effectively with His guidance and wisdom. Even on the brightest of days, we’re still going to run into life’s construction zones; it is unavoidable. Believing that even the brightest headlamp or the closest relationship to our Lord is going to save us from any type of roadblock or trial is self-deception.
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
— John 1:5
We were meant to be on this journey. We just weren’t meant to go on it alone. We were also meant to share that light, to help others along the way in their travels. Jesus longs to be that lamp unto our feet and our guide on each and every step. We may stumble. We may take the wrong road from time to time, but we will not be lost if we trust in His way. A physical light can only reach so far. Jesus is the light of the world, however, and His light knows no bounds.
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
— John 8:12-13
