A Hard Light To See

I have always been a fan of horror movies. Friday the 13th, Chucky, The Ring, Paranormal Activity... those are my kind of movies! I love the suspense and how you just can't help but have your heart race to the point where you feel like it's going to burst right out of your chest as you wait for the monster to jump out and scare you.

But, for being a fan of horror movies, I ironically do not like haunted houses. I like the idea of watching scaring things happen around me as long as I have my TV as a buffer, but when it comes to walking around and having the monsters be able to jump out and touch you... that's just too much for me.

I remember my first haunted house as a little kid. I walked into the scary run-down house that smelled like musty gym socks with my dad and brother. It was so dark inside that I couldn't see my hand in front of my face (or maybe my hands were just covering my eyes... i can't remember). I was holding onto my dad's hand as he felt his way through the narrow hallways and led us into the darkness of the house.

Up ahead I could hear loud noises and people screaming whenever a light would flash. As we walked closer to where the screams had come from the lights suddenly stopped flashing. My heart was starting to race a little as we walked further into the pitch black and into the room where the screaming had come from...

All of the sudden the sound of chainsaws and electricity exploded into the room at deafening levels, and people started screaming right next to us to try and scare us, but the lights remained off. Something got goofed up in their lighting so that they didn't turn on when the sounds began. My heart started to slow down as I thought to myself, "This isn't scary, it's just dark."

Then, like a burst of lightning, a strobe light kicked on and a man with a chainsaw jumped out. Then another strobe light kicked on so we could see a man sitting in a chair (poorly made to look like an electrical-chair) screaming and shaking. I immediately clenched onto my dad's hand and hid behind his leg.

It wasn't until the lights started shining that I became aware of what was happening in that room and saw the monsters... Without the lights, I could ignore the scary things and pretend like they weren't there.

“No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.” Luke 8:16-18

I always thought that when Jesus said this he was talking about being a "light" to people who don't know Jesus (aka: evangelism). Although I think that is part of what this implies, it's not the whole thing.

As a Christian, I way too often believe the lie that I am the light and have to shine on other people... but the truth is, I am not the light at all - Jesus is. Also, as a Christian, I all too quickly find myself trying to shine light in other people's darkness and don't let people shine light in my own darkness.

I am comfortable ignoring my flaws and keeping my inner monsters hidden from other people. When I am forced to look at them and face them... it doesn't feel good; it's scary; it hurts. And more than anything, when my dark areas are called out and brought into the light, I feel like I am now at the mercy and judgement of the people who see me.

But a beautiful thing happens when we bring our monsters into the light... we get to see them for what they truly are. We get to see how fake they are and how absolutely rediculous they look. We get to see how un-scary the are, and if we let other people shine light on our monsters we get to have people who will hold our hand and help lead us away from the darkness that the monsters like to hide.

When we let the light of Jesus pierce our darkness through Scripture, Christian friends, Small Groups, etc. we begin to find that the monsters we have been ignoring or have kept secret are not something to be afraid of or hide from... they are things to be revealed and removed so that Jesus can shine a little brighter in our lives.

Four questions for you to answer and act on:
1. What areas of your life have you kept in darkness?
2. What are the monsters you are afraid to face?
3. Who do you need to ask to shine some light on your life?
4. What excuses are you making right now to not let others shine light into your darkness?