The Light that Shineth in the Darkness

Imagine lighting a candle in a dark cave. You have enough light to see, but not very clearly. You are walking through the cave with many people, some known and many unknown to you. You say to those known to you, family and friends, “It is so dark in here.” Then they say to you, “It is not dark in here, it is bright.” You are so confused; how could they not perceive the darkness as it surrounds us?

Over time, the flame on the candle becomes dimmer and dimmer, and it becomes increasingly more challenging to see in this grim cave. You trip on rocks, run into sharp surfaces, it seems that with every step you take you fall into more peril, worrying that the next step may soon be your last. On the other hand, everyone else is able to adapt their eyes to this growing darkness. They ask you “What’s wrong with you? Why do you keep fumbling? You can’t even take a step down the path without injuring yourself, but look at me, I don’t have a single scratch on me.” In your tormented state you cry out, “It is too dark! I cannot see! The light is too dim, and soon it will be out!” You’re so tortured and confused, exhausted physically and mentally, you don’t know what to do or where you can turn. You think, I am too weak to be going on like this, I need some sort of help to bare this journey. If only someone could heal me of my wounds, shine a light for me to see, and help me carry the burdens that come with this tiresome journey.

Those around you, frustrated by your seeming lack of awareness say “What are you looking for? A savior? Nobody will save you! Just learn to see with this light! It is bright, and it is the only light you have, and the only light you will ever know. And if you do not acclimate your eyes, then we do not wish to know you. We will leave you behind, and it is in that moment you will experience true darkness.” And again, you cry out in further anguish, “It is too dark! In this, the dimmest of lights, my eyes cannot see. And soon, this light will be out!” You sit in that moment, eternally tired of mis-stepping, and the people leave you. You feel empty, lost, confused, utterly alone and unloved, with a heartache so grave that you feel it is irreparable. Something compels you to look up, and with your last dying breath, you cry out in a whisper, “If there is a soul out there who can hear me, please save me from my misery, I am lost and need to be found, I am blind and need to see, I am lame and need to walk, I am broken and need to be healed.”

Suddenly, the cave begins to shake, a powerful, blinding light illuminates the cave, and you hear a divine call. The call is like the most heavenly of sounds, so magnificent that it can coo you to sleep and exalt your spirit all in the same breath. It speaks to your soul, telling you that you are loved, that you matter, and that your trials and tribulations have not been in vain. That you are chosen to be a mighty soldier, to defeat the powers and principalities of darkness that have tried to overtake you your entire life! You are filled with a love, peace, and strength that until that day was foreign to you. In an instance, your wounds are healed, and you are made anew, reborn in the image of that great force, that great power, that great light, that great being whose glory cannot be described in human utterances. Then, you are surrounded by others, and you can see the image of that great power within them as well. You are again spoken to in your soul, along with your brothers and sisters, and you all join hands, awaiting and preparing for the battle that is ahead. Those who have an ear, let them hear.