In The Dark

One of our fellow campground staff brought me these mushrooms yesterday. They are really big and he said they are best when sliced and sauted in butter.

Yum!

I don’t know much about mushrooms but I do know they grow best in moist places without much light. Not an ideal situation for human growth but I guess it’s ok for fungus.

Do you remember years back when scientist and medical professionals started talking about light deprivation and lack of vitamin D? This produced a condition known as SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder. One of the main symptoms was depression.

I love the sunshine. Most of my life has been in the desert with plenty of sunshine. Even though our winter days in Montana were bitterly cold we still had lots of sunshine.

If we aren’t careful we can experience SAD in our spiritual lives. The Lord doesn’t want us living in the dark. In fact, one Old Testament prophet proclaimed that “My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge”. They were living in spiritual darkness. They had forgotten, or had not been taught, all that the Lord told Moses about God’s blessings being poured out on each generation of the Jewish people.

John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, instructed us to “walk in the light as He was in the light”. Jesus said of himself that He came to be the Light of the World. When we walk in the light of God’s word we grow. We develop strength, joy, goodness, peace and love. That’s the fruit that God’s light produces in us. These traits are completely opposite of SAD.

When we are walking in the SONshine our lives reflect His light. Jesus said that we are to be lights in the world. Just like the moon reflects the light of the sun and shines when the sun is absent, we can and will reflect the light of God’s Son and shine in the world when the Son isn’t in the earth.

“People don’t hide a lamp under a bowl. They put it on a lampstand. Then the light shines for everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:15-16 ERV

May I encourage you today to open God’s word and let the Son shine on you. Don’t be a mushroom!