The Light is Still On

Somewhere deep beneath the surface is darkness. Hidden from the natural eye, a deep well full of pain, sadness or anger. It’s hard to believe in happiness and joy while living in this darkness. Trying to appreciate the small blessings of waking each day begins to feel like torture. Sleep is the only peace. Too much noise triggers anxiety and too little feels lonely. Have you felt this? If so you’re not alone. It’s okay to admit you’re not ok. It’s okay to admit you’re afraid of what you’re feeling and you don’t know where to turn to pull out of this place. Anxiety and depression are very real. On the one hand you never feel safe or at ease and your mind never slows. Your heart races so fast you fall into a panic. You feel a loss of control and you forget to breathe. On the other hand you feel so far away from life itself nothing makes you feel much of anything. You feel a level of grief daily that drowns you. On top of that you lose track of time and rarely feel up to engaging with people. All you can do is rest. When you can’t rest your mind takes you to a place so low, you too forget to come up for air.

Sweet sister! You’re going to be ok. When it is bedtime and my niece is worried about darkness, I turn on her night lights and soothe her. I rub her back and remind her the lights are still on. The darkness seems scary but she’s safe, warm, loved and the lights are still on. Today I want you to remind yourself that Christ loves you, you’re safe, you’re warm and the lights are still on.

Today's Reflection

You, LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light Psalm 18:28

David is delivered from his enemies, including Saul. The Lord heard David’s cries and protected him, eventually he delivered David. Upon being delivered David engaged in a song of praises to the Lord in Psalm 18. When you are in distress you may not be pulled out of it right away but you will receive God’s favor and his protection. When the season ends, he will deliver you. But what does “the light is still on" really mean and how can I focus my mind there instead?

How God Functions as The Light

• God mounts us up in troublesome times with his strength. We can always look to the word for encouragement, which reveals:

  • The coming of Christ – the creation, the lineage

  • The character of Christ – his works, his holiness

  • The purpose of Christ – the savior to all mankind, his

• When Jesus faced the cross, he cried out in prayer, therefore he knows what it means to hear us cry out in distress.

• We should acknowledge God’s mercy in all areas of our lives, not only praising him for deliverance of one season, but of them all, even the season we are living through. This is because it serves as confirmation of our confidence in Him, our faith.

Don't let the darkness steal the light within you. It may be easier said than done on some days. When you find yourself unable to tap into the light of Christ on the hardest days, reach into anything that will pour into your spirit. Find music, text a known confidant to pray for you, read a devotion. Renew your mind by quoting scripture until the words you repeat begin to sink into your soul. And above all cry out to the Lord, if all you're able to say is "Oh God! Help me," that's ok. Find your lifeline and don't let go. You will survive this just breathe. You will be ok, you are not your situation--you are living through a situation. If it lasts a while and even if it lasts a lifetime, Jesus Christ is your redeeming power.

Prayer Heavenly Father this is a prayer for the sisters at ground zero. Lift us up and hear our cry! We rejoice knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because your love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For this reason, we know you will protect us during the crisis and deliver us at the right time. Continue to help me hold strong in my darkest hour that my mind may not attack me with deceit. Father mount us up that we may not fall into deep despair. Give us a song to sing when darkness falls that we will always find the light and rejoice because we know you're coming! ~ Amen