Captivated by the Light

I have an adult daughter and two adult sons. At the time of this writing we have four granddaughters. Starting with my daughter when she was a toddler and then with our sons and then all four granddaughters I began to do something silly.

Whenever I told them goodnight I would direct their focus to the ceiling light by pointing to it. In a sense, they became captivated by the ceiling light. Then I would slip my left hand up to the light switch in a way that they couldn’t see my hand there.

Next, came the silly part. I would blow at the ceiling light as if it was a candle or old-time oil lamp and quietly flip that light switch. The light would go out! And they would be delighted.

It was good, harmless fun.

Eventually, though, they all got older and wiser in the ways of the world and sophisticated. In time they all knew it was me turning off the light switch. They lost their innocent sense of wonder about this.

I was happy to see them all developing normally, yet…it saddened me a little to see them lose that child-like sense of wonder about it all.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.” (John 1:1-9)

Jesus is the ultimate Light. In the Gospel of John, Jesus announced twice that He is “the light of the world” (John 8:12; 9:5) so we know this must be crucial for us to know. The first time He said it He explained why it is so important for us that He is “the light”: “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.’” (John 8:12)

It is understandable and right for my children and grandchildren to develop and grow and no longer fall for my cheesy jokes and pranks like me pretending to blow out a ceiling light with my breath. It is a good thing for them to figure that out.

I hope, however, we never get to a place as the children of God where We think we have Jesus figured out and lose that wonder and delight we had when we first encountered him as Lord.

“…you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light…” (Ephesians 5:8)

We’re “children of light” in Christ. Let’s resolve to NEVER lose the wonder of all that.

Let’s remain captivated by the Light and learn to define ourselves by Him.

Pastor Mike McInerney

Mike McInerney Ministries, Inc.

Decatur, TX

© October 25, 2020