On the last night of our first trip to Uganda 10 years ago we were supposed to walk from the hotel where we were staying to Pastor Geoffrey’s house for a final meal together.It wasn’t a far walk at all, but the problem was it was growing dark and some of us forgot to take a flashlight. Yet, we began the journey, determined to make it by using the light on someone’s cell phone.
We travelled in groups, which within itself was difficult because you had multiple people trying to be guided by a small, dim light. We stumbled, tripping over the brush that lined the pathway. We laughed, recognizing the ridiculousness of six people huddled together stumbling through the darkness when it could have been avoided if we’d actually packed according to the packing list that was given before we left. (Following directions has never been my personal strong suit).
At some point, the flashlight went out. And there we were. Stuck in the middle – halfway between the hotel and Geoffrey’s house. Encompassed in darkness.
A bit perplexed as to how we were going to continue to find our way in the middle of a strange area on the other side of the world, we simply stood still.
When the Apostle Paul was gave counsel to the people of Ephesus he encouraged them to “take advantage of every opportunity.”
That seems easy to do when the opportunities before us are exactly what we want them to be. Easy, full of joy and fun. It is in those opportunities that we forge full steam ahead! Living and enjoying life – NOT thinking about the things that could bring harm to our journey.
What do we do when we find ourselves stuck in the darkness?
What if we try this?
What if we stop and adjust to the darkness, realizing that it is sometimes ONLY in the darkness that we find the light.
There is a light that shines in our times of darkness that is only visible there.
In Uganda, in those moments of complete darkness our eyes began to adjust. We realized the stars were giving off enough light that we could carefully continue to find our way.
Something to think about . . . those same stars that gave us direction that evening, they didn’t “go away” when the sun rose the next day.
The stars were a constant in the sky. They were still there, even when the sun gave off the needed light. Those lights did not go away.
As we travel in our journeys and seek to stay in our lanes, avoiding hitting our guardrails, it is important to remember that even in the darkest of darks, there is a constant bright light that shines and shows us the way. It is the light of perfect love.
Ephesians 5: 13b “Everything exposed to the light is revealed by the light. 14 Everything that is revealed by the light is light. Therefore, it says, Wake up, sleeper! Get up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
Walk in the light of perfect love today.
Grace and Peace,
Andrea