Day 14; the light comes in giving life to what it touches.
NOURISHING
The light comes in NOURISHING what it touches to reach it’s full potential.
When something is nourishing; it holds ‘substances necessary for growth, for health and for good condition.’
Scripture is God-breathed and full of light. If you read it every day, it can be NOURISHING for your heart, mind and soul. It can and will equip you for every good thing God has planned for you to do. (2 Timothy 3)
Feeling stuck? Feeling blah? Feeling lost? That’s ok. You’re not done growing. So, make a move. Shift your posture. Open up God’s word and soak it in.
Day 13; seeing light in the metaphorical dark is CHALLENGING. While Joseph’s brain was swelling, covered in lesions, his eyes crossing, white blood cell count rising; I was coming in and out of the hospital from one surgery after another at the same time. This kind of metaphorical darkness is when it can be CHALLENGING to see light.
In the deep vastness of chronic pain or a devastating diagnosis or global pandemic chaos zero-ing in on your job security or holiday plans – the darkness comes in consuming your landscape.
“I have learned things in the dark that I could never have learned in the light, things that have saved my life over and over again, so that there is really only one logical conclusion. I need darkness as much as I need light.”
Barbara Brown Taylor, “Learning to Walk in the Dark”
This daily exercise of looking for how the light gets in is much more than looking for a silver lining. I’m not a fan of another positive spin. I want the real deal. The power of dark, looking for light in it, the challenge to appreciate them both is a daily exercise.
So, everyday I bring what I’ve got. And Jesus sees it. Takes it. And Answers.
With five loaves and two fish, Jesus fed thousands. A boy brought Jesus what he had, and Jesus worked a miracle.
Bring Jesus your dark and your light today. He sees your darkness. He is offering light. Challenge yourself today. What will your miracle look like?
Day 12: The light comes through and around this leaf DISTINGUISHING every detail.
DISTINGUISHING
The combination of my iPhone camera and the sun and this leaf is stunning, isn’t it? I stopped to take the picture only because of how pretty the tree was. The closer I got, the more I noticed. But the camera lens captured more than I could see with my own eyes.
Do you notice the red veining, the transparency of the red and green “skin,” the tiny hairs on the edge of the leaf, how opaque the thin branch is? From far away, it’s just a pretty tree. The light distinguishes every magnificent detail.
Today is, in fact NOT sunny, and my heart is a little sad and weary. How are you doing where you are today?
God, I invite your searching gaze into my heart. Examine me through and through; find out everything that may be hidden within me. Put me to the test and sift through all my anxious cares. 24 See if there is any path of pain I’m walking on, and lead me back to your glorious, everlasting ways— the path that brings me back to you.
Psalm 139:23-24 The Passion Translation
I’m not sure what problems are mine to solve or how to carry the ones I know are mine to work through.
Holding on to the idea of DISTINGUISHING, I will pray these light-filled words.
Day 11; the light gets in to lift a covering of darkness.
UNVEILING
Light doesn’t just change a landscape; it gives meaning,
Psalm 119:130
When your 4 year old is shrieking about a “monster” in the room; turning on the light becomes a powerful tool UNVEILING the “monster” to actually be a pile of clothes in the corner. Or maybe you and your spouse are holding onto resentment. Pulling that resentment into the light of truth unveils a deeper conversation needed. What if you are gripping shame or a belief about yourself? Bravely bringing that to a friend to carefully go over that idea in love and honesty is a powerful light lifting the veil to reveal who you truly are.
When something needs unveiling; that means we’ve wrapped it in a layer of our own fear. It doesn’t belong there.
Morgan Harper Nichols
Today let’s pray for the courage to turn the light on the scary, resentful, shame-filled corners of our hearts. Ask God for the loving light of His truth to unveil that darkness. You belong in the light.
Day 10; the light comes in spreading from one spot all across the landscape.
Blue Ridge Mountains
SPREADING
The sun is majestic on it’s own but there’s something about the way it’s light spreads across the mountains that takes my breath away. The glow is SPREADING reaching up, gathering from side to side, stretching down celebrating the far off purple-blue mountains along with each individual blade of grass.
…the Creator of the Heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to it’s people, and life to those who walk in it… I will take hold of your hand. Isaiah 42:5-6
There’s power in the reach of light and how it spreads. The same can be said of the power of God but there’s more to His reach. God spreads his arms out to also pull you in and take you by your hand.
Our God spreads his arms to create scenes like this. And he pulls us close in comfort and protection.
David Guzik digs deeper into the verse from Isaiah and the idea of spreading: “First look up, because He created the heavens and stretched them out. Then look down, because He spread forth the earth and that which comes from it. Then look in a mirror, because He gives breath to the people on it. The God who did such great things can fulfill His promises about YOU.”
Day 9: The morning light came in FILTERING through the trees.
Sounds like an answer on a writing assignment. Doesn’t it? Teacher asks: What’s another way to say shine, kids? Be creative!” And we say:
FILTERING
My friend, Diane, captured this and sent it to me this morning.
Filtering
Not only is it pushing past the trees; the light is also showing us the path on the left.
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know Him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people and His incomparably great power for us who believe.
Ephesians 1:17-20
I hope you see this daily practice of looking for how the light gets in as more than a basic thesaurus exercise.
Filtering through the crap in this world, in your life requires wisdom and revelation (maybe those sound like annoying bible words).
How about…Filtering needs open eyes and hearts (cheesy Christian talk?).
Let’s filter through all that too with a lens of truth. This bit of scripture is telling YOU that YOU are called to HOPE, RICHES and POWER from the sweetest God who will not give up until you understand.
My goodness, if you watched the video I shared yesterday; I hope you got a glimpse of a God determined enough to push past my broken heart and messed up body to bring hope, generous enough to lavish me not just with relief but full healing and loving enough to keep showing up in His word, in friends, in songs, in peace. That’s just me!
What does He have planned for You???
I pray you open the eyes of your heart. I pray you are brave and bold and ask God to help you filter through the obstacles today. I pray you’re ready for how He answers. I pray you let the light of God push past the obstacles, showing you the way to go.
Day 8: Oh my goodness. I’m excited and nervous to share this.
Being honest, I don’t know why I got this and others haven’t.
That’s a reason I didn’t want to share this story.
It feels uneven because it is… but it doesn’t make it any less true.
“Still, what I want in my life is to be willing to be dazzled – to cast aside the weight of facts… and maybe even to load a little above this difficult world, I want to believe I am looking into the white fire of a great mystery. I want to believe that the imperfections are nothing – that the light is everything.”
Mary Oliver
HEALING
O my soul, bless God. From head to toe, I’ll bless his holy name! O my soul, bless God, don’t forget a single blessing!
3-5 He forgives your sins—every one. He heals your diseases—every one. He redeems you from hell—saves your life! He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown. He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal. He renews your youth—you’re always young in his presence.
6-18 God makes everything come out right; he puts victims back on their feet. -Psalm 103
It’s been one year God. I can’t thank you enough. Why me? I don’t know. I pray anyone and everyone who sees this feels hope stirring in their hearts. I pray they push past the idea that hope should feel solid. Hope is fragile and shaky and true. You God, promise healing and light and love. Your promises, better yet, YOU never change. Thank you. Thank you.
Day 7: When light comes in from all around you, on top of you, from behind you and alongside you, SURROUNDING you – it gets in you.
SURROUNDING
We’ve been lucky enough around here to have wide open blue skies with the sun front and center. November light is full and everywhere.
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26
The Blessing. Have you heard this song? It combines ancient promises with new voices and it is awesome.
Press play. Look around and allow yourself to be surrounded in Gods light and promise.
Day 6; The light comes in CHANGING what it touches.
CHANGING
Whatever allows the light to touch it, to get through it; is changed.
Strands of hair hold gold touches of the sun by August.
Prisms on the glass front door sprinkle little rainbows throughout the entry.
The light changes things. It makes things new.
When you allow the word of God into your everyday life; you will be changed. When you open scripture, God is whispering, “Look! I’m about to do something new. I’ve already started. Do you see it? There will be change.”
That’s one way of reading Isaiah 43:19 🙂
The word of God is light.
Look up Isaiah 43:19 for yourself and read the different translations. Allow the light of Gods word to get through you. And then wait for it – there will be change.
On Day 5, the light comes in REFLECTING off a granite countertop.
REFLECTING
The smooth surface gives off what it’s receiving- an image of the arched window and the trees. The light makes it possible. The light doubles the image for us.
There’s a verse in the Gospel of Luke that talks about how we reflect what we are getting…
A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.
Luke 6:45 NLT
What’s your source? Fox News, CNN, Facebook, an actual newspaper, a novel, Instagram, the Bible, YouTube, your past?
I pray the treasury of my heart and yours is filled with the light of truth today. I pray that you remember God and look for Him today. I pray that you go about this dark, crazy world reflecting THE light. Amen.
how the light gets in 