Friday, July 25, 2014

Comfortable Darkness, Painful Light

"Light is only painful when you've been in the dark for a long time" - Me

A little known fact about me: I generally wake up at about 3am in the morning dying of thirst. Therefore, I end up seeking out the bottle of water/cup of juice/corner of gatorade at my bedside. But, sometimes I forget and consequently have to make a trip to the kitchen. Generally I walk through the house in the dark, because I know where every corner, doorway, piece of furniture is located....until I moved.

Here I was in unfamiliar footage, bumping into everything! So, I turned the light on. Smh...that brief moment of excruciating pain was enough to make me immediately flip the switch back to off! I was content bumping into things in the dark, because I'd prefer that to hurting my eyes with the light.

That's how spiritual growth can be...

The comfort of the darkness in familiar territory is something I know all too well. But when God begins moving in your life, when he begins moving you into new territory, positioning you for purpose...you need the light.  And by light, not only do I mean God and his presence, but I mean the illumination of what/who is around you, clarity and clear vision for what is before you.

Now, when God begins to shine in your life it can (will) be painful. You're going to begin to see some things you don't want to see. You're going to see some people for who they truly are, you may even see yourself for who you truly used to be. Through light God reveals, he confirms, and he even denies. That can hurt. But the blessing in breaking the darkness, is your ability to see exactly where you're going, and staying in the light illuminates the way to get there!

I'm learning to be ok walking in the light. It's crazy how darkness has away of being attractive. But what's funny is, even when you turn out the light, for a moment you can still see everything. I can't run from what I've seen, and what God has already shown me.

If you can get past the point of the pain, you can have a clear view to the path of your purpose. Turn on the light, keep it on. Walk in it, thrive in it, get out of the dark.