Seeing in the Dark
Have you ever strained your eyes in the dark to see something better? Maybe you were awakened in the night. You stared across the room, trying to determine if there is a gorilla in the corner or if it was actually your puffy coat hanging on the back of a chair. Or, maybe the power suddenly went out while you were cooking or in the middle of a room trying to make it across. Perhaps you toured a cave, and the guide (after a warning) turned off the lights so you could see how dark it actually was underground. Maybe your eyes searched and searched for light, finding none.
Do you remember the show Mythbusters? In one episode, they tested the myth that pirates wore patches over one eye so that they could see in the dark. Let me explain. Remember the rods and cones stuff from science class? In our eyes, rods work primarily in low light; cones function in the light. Some of the resources I consulted indicated that it can take as much as 25 minutes for our eyes to adjust from light to dark completely. So, back to the pirates. The myth proposed that pirates wore patches over one eye, allowing that eye to get used to the darkness. If the pirates had to go below deck, where there were no lights or windows, swapping the patch to the other eye uncovered the prepared eye, allowed them to see in the dark. That eye was already accustomed to the darkness. The myth was classified as plausible, and I think it makes a lot of sense.
When we are in a dark season of life, it can be challenging to see clearly or accurately. We may strain our spiritual eyes, trying to discern the shape of what God has for us. Maybe it is around the corner where we can see a form, but we aren't sure what it is. It could be that we are in such a deep cave that there is no light coming through. Or, maybe, we are suddenly moved from a bright, sunshiny time of life into a dark pit.
But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over.
Proverbs 4:19
What do we do in these times? Stand frozen, afraid of the dark? That gets us nowhere. Or, do we keep moving forward without caution? If we do, we could hurt ourselves by stumbling into something.
How do we approach these times? First, we may need to do things differently. When power is out for a while in my home, I still find myself flipping light switches when I go into a room. It's a habit. Turn on the switch so I can see what I need to see. But if that's not working, I need to change my approach. It may be that I need to evaluate my process.
The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
Matthew 6:22-23
Perhaps my process has become unhealthy, and I should evaluate my time with God. Maybe I have been doing more talking than listening, or it could be that my time with Him has slowly dwindled to just a trickle. That's where I need to start: I need to check my power source to see how to adjust it and get my light back.
Or, maybe, like the pirates jumping into a dark hold, I have suddenly, maybe violently, encountered darkness. These situations may take a little more time. This light doesn't come with a switch. And even if I have prepared my heart to see better when dark times come, it still takes time. So, if you find yourself in darkness, don't give up hope. But allow yourself time to navigate. And take your Navigators with you. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are light-bringers!
For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.
Ephesians 5:8-9
