Live in the light of love

Even as kids, we know light can bring comfort & cheer to our lives. When our older son, Matthew, was little we had to make sure his closet light was on & the closet door left ajar 3-inches every night to deter any monsters. (4-inches was too bright & 2-inches was too dark. Yes, we had a ruler on the dresser &, yes, we kept a spare light bulb on the top shelf of the closet after the burned-out bulb incident the night of December 12, 2004.) I had read multiple parenting books, so I decided to ask Matthew if he had ever seen any monsters in his room. I smugly thought that since no monsters had ever been seen, my logic would help him clearly see that this ritual served no purpose. However, Matthew put my victory on hold with his cheerful response, “Nope, not yet!” (Sigh. The wisdom in parenting books is a tad overstated.)

It’s another season of shorter days & limited daylight hours, so it seems ironic that today’s Scripture reading would emphasize the purifying power & spiritual benefits of light. My “Day-Job” is in operations of the natural gas industry. While its history is fascinating in many ways, today we’ll just focus on the fact that a great majority of natural gas utilities got their start with gas lighting on streets & pathways. (Before becoming conglomerates, many utilities included the description “gas light” in their names.) At that time, gas lamps were more efficient & effective than oil or coal lamps to provide lighting on a large scale. (Trivia: Paris, France is famously known as the “City of Lights” thanks to their aggressive adoption of natural gas lighting in the early 1800’s.)

     Old vaudeville joke: A policeman helps a man look for his lost car keys on the sidewalk under a streetlamp. After several minutes of an unsuccessful search, the policeman asks, “Are you sure
     you lost your keys here?” The man replies, “No. I lost them over there in the park, but the lighting is better here.”

Most public streetlights are powered by electricity today, which is okay by me, since over 40% of all electricity generated in the U.S. is sourced from natural gas. Regardless, lighted streets still provide great value to communities:

• Increased Safety: Crime rates drop markedly in areas that are well-illuminated
• Fewer Mistakes: Better visibility reduces pedestrian/biking accidents
• Improved Health: Studies show anxiety levels are reduced in areas with greater visibility/lighting & it encourages more physical/social activities after daylight hours. (This last benefit is a tad ironic, since as a kid during the summertime I had to be home “before the streetlights came on.”)

So what might this all mean for us? Today’s passage talks about the value of the Light of Christ & how it can positively impact our lives. Consider its benefits:

• Increased Safety: Poor choices drop markedly in areas of our life that are well-illuminated
• Fewer Mistakes: Better visibility means we don’t put ourselves in harm’s way when we have a clearer vision of potential hazards & pitfalls.
• Improved Health: Studies shows stress levels are reduced when we bask in the light of Christ instead of tempting ourselves with risky choices that lurk in the darkness.

So, let’s deliberately seek out the Light of Christ, actively apply it throughout our life’s journey, & bask in the glow of a life well-lived.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I want to take a picture of this evening’s sunset.

My bad.  Guess I shouldn’t have waited until 5:49 p.m.