Living In the Light
Have you ever been in a place where there is absolutely no light? You open your eyes but you still can’t see anything. The last time I experienced such a total darkness, I felt quite lost and a little panicky. You can’t really go anywhere, you can’t find the way, you could hurt yourself… What a relief when the light returns. Light helps us see things clearly. It helps us find our way. It even helps us enjoy all the colors and the beauty around us.
John (also called the Beloved) said that Jesus, “Brought light to everyone” (John 1:4 NLT) Since committing to Jesus, I experienced His light. He guides me through my life and through Him I see more clearly. What do I mean by seeing more clearly? Do I have bad vision?
No, seeing life through Jesus refers not to physical sight, but a spiritual reality. I often find myself in a place where I feel like I can’t see clearly. Maybe my emotions prevent me from seeing a challenge clearly or I fail to see a friend’s hard situation and answer them more harshly than I should. Sometimes I see myself or others in a bad light and am more critical than necessary. Often I can’t see what the future brings, which causes worry and anxiety.
Looking at Jesus, His life and His love for me, helps me in these situations. I experienced how He keeps changing me. He gives me more peace if I feel uncertain. He gives me wisdom for my life in looking at how He loved people. I can forgive because He forgave me.
A key part in this, I believe, is truth. John also spoke about Jesus being the truth (John 14,6). A bold claim, especially in our age where many people no longer believe in the existence of truth. I admit that truth can be very complex. But I believe it exists. When I believed in the truth about Jesus, God allowed me to walk in His freedom. Experiencing this freedom makes my life become more real in a way, more full. It’s not always easy, for sure, but gladly I don’t walk alone on this path.
John wrote about this as well in another letter called 3 John. He wrote that he has “no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth” (3 John 4). He encouraged Gaius, a beloved friend, to keep on welcoming other fellow believers. This whole letter speaks of hospitality and standing together as community, teaching us how to walk together in truth and in light.
Of course, this can be messy and hard (even John mentions another guy in the community that seems to be very unfriendly towards others, see 3 John 9 and 10), but I think it’s still worth the effort. We learn how to love and grow in community. I know I would not be who I am today if it was not for my faith family. They continually stand with me despite the messiness and challenge of community, for that I am so thankful!
If you are curious to experience community life like this, I invite you to come join us. We would love to get to know you! Join us for our upcoming Explore the Bible Series. Let’s discover together what it means to walk in light and truth.