As a teen I recall my favourite high school subject was English. Science vied for second place. (When it came to last place, math and physical education were evenly tied. No questions asked, today or back then.)
As strange or trivial as it may seem, one particular science lesson still stands out in my mind. The topic of discussion was the relationship of light and darkness. True to my first love of English and its relative, writing, I was intrigued by the interaction of those two qualities and I'd already decided I'd compose a poem or at least write a paragraph about such a simple yet, possibly, profound topic. It took only a matter of minutes to discover that though the definition of these two qualities appeared to be simple, their interaction was incredibly complex.
I still have not forgotten either the anticipation or the letdown I felt when my teacher defined darkness. "The absence of light," he said. "Darkness is the absence of light." Surely it had to be harder than that!
Now the definition of light took on new meaning. Light illuminates. Light reveals. Light dispels darkness. There wouldn't even be colour if light didn't exist.
In this second of three exhortations regarding the Christian's walk, the Apostle Paul instructs, "Walk as children of light.”
What makes the topic so meaningful is the scope of things light reveals: hidden things, secret things, good things and bad things. Over the years, however, my understanding of the power of light to dispel its antithesis has deepened.
How wonderful to know that because of Christ's redemptive work, His light reveals more than we can imagine. Where we see condemnation and accusation, He sees us as righteous. Where we see failure, He illuminates it with grace and promise.
"Walk in the light as He is in the light!"
