We often talk of ‘lightbulb’ moments or ‘seeing’ an answer to a problem; sometimes, that seeing comes gradually (a little like how energy saving bulbs take time to warm up and let the full light shine through them) and sometimes suddenly. If we have very little light, everything we see appears shadowy and in outline, but if we have more light, things seem clearer and brighter. Too much light can dazzle us and leave us blinded.
Light is essential to life; if we have too little sunlight, we will suffer from a vitamin D deficiency which leads to an increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment in older adults, severe asthma in children and even cancer. Artificial light is helpful, but not the same as the ‘real thing.’ God describes Himself as light (see John 8:12, 1 John 1:5). Jesus is the light who has come into the world (see John 1:1-5). Moreover, His Word gives light (see Ps 119:105, Ps 119:130) – giving us access to truth and life.
The result of this light is that we are called to live in the light and walk in the light of the Lord (see Is 2:5, Is 9:2, Is 49:6). The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel (2 Cor 4:4), but God shines His light into our lives, leading us into that true knowledge of Him (2 Cor 4:6). The result of this is an awesome responsibility to live in the light (see Luke 12:47-48, 2 Pet 1:19). We must be prepared to let God shape our understanding of truth, so that we do not view life with rose-tinted spectacles, having wrong views of God and other issues which, if left uncorrected, may lead us astray, but allowing God’s word to shape us, lead us and direct us into all truth. As we rejoice in the coming of Jesus, the Light, let us rejoice and live in the light that He has given and let us continually walk in and towards the light of the Lord.