When I was about four years old, I met a monster. It was terrifying, especially as it took place in the middle of the night when I was alone. I was sound asleep when the monster made a frightening noise that woke me up. I sat up in bed and my room was dark. It wasn’t usually pitch black, as I had a night light. But that night, at that moment, it was frightfully dark. I couldn’t see much of anything for a moment, but then I saw it. The monster. It’s shapeless and oddly moving form was standing just inside my doorway. I knew I was powerless against this strange being, so I did the only thing I knew that might save me. I threw the covers over my head and screamed my head off, calling for my parents. They came running up the stairs to rescue me from the monster.

In the morning, my dad took me for a walk. We walked down the road heading out of our small town. He said, “I want you to see where your monster came from.” He pointed out some ruts that stretched from the road to an electric pole that was now lying on the ground. I was very confused as to how a monster could get into my room from those tracks and the pole. My dad tried to explain how this caused my monster, but it didn’t make sense to me.

As I got older and learned more, I understood. A car wrecked into the pole, which cut our power. The crash was what woke me up. In the complete darkness of the night, my eyes played tricks on me as they tried to adjust to the darkness. I didn’t understand what my eyes were doing and interpreted the odd shapes as a monster.

Darkness is disabling. It prevents clear sight and plays tricks on the mind. Darkness slows progress and causes us to stumble and fall, knocking things over in the process. It is a cause of disaster. Darkness incubates and feeds fear.

We have no ability ourselves to overcome darkness. We cannot will it away or illuminate ourselves. If someone doesn’t have a flashlight, match, or some other source of light, that person will remain hopelessly in the dark. Darkness has power over us.

The same is true spiritually, but thank God, that’s not the end of the story! There is One who is stronger than darkness. He is light. He’s not like light. He IS light. Light has the power to overcome darkness. Whenever darkness is introduced to light, it runs away. It flees!

I saw something the other day that blew my mind. Did you know, if you shine light on a lit candle, there is no shadow for the flame? It’s true. I had to try it out for myself. Although we see the substance of a flame, it is light. There can be no shadow for light.

The Bible paints a picture of humanity. People are in bondage in the kingdom of darkness, unable to free themselves. We are powerless on our own against the dark dominion. But God breaks through the darkness, overpowering its might, and rescues us. The beautiful story doesn’t end there! He not only saves us from bondage, but He also brings us to Himself and into the safety of His kingdom.

This is a love story.

The advent season is now upon us. It is the time when we remember that the Light came to the world and dwelt among us. The Light of Life humbled Himself in humanity. Why did He do this? Love. His desire is to be together. He says in John 17:24 (NIV), “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am.” The Light of Life came into the world to shatter the power of darkness and bring us to Himself. He frees us from bondage so we can experience freedom and love. He sends darkness running and conquers our monsters.

Scriptures to light your path this week:
Colossians 1:13-14
Isaiah 42:5-7, 16
1 Peter 2:9
Ephesians 5:8-13
Psalm 18:28