It's a hot summer. Very hot. The temperature these last four days has been over 100 degrees, and forecasts show nothing but 90's and more sun headed our way. Earlier this week, I babysat three kids who live in my neighborhood. Needless to say I was more than relieved when they asked first thing I walked through the door, “Can we go
swimming?”
We spent nearly 4 hours at the pool in my backyard,
splashing each other under the bright sun and, most importantly, staying cool.
At 4:30, we got out and went back to their house for a late afternoon snack.
The two older siblings changed into normal, dry clothes right away but the
youngest, Kiera, waited until she finished her bag of Dorito’s.
I must not have noticed the sky getting darker outside and
the trees bending from the strong winds. Their built-in weather-alert system
alarm went off, and an automated voice interrupted the "Phineas and Ferb" episode
on TV.
“We are under a severe thunderstorm warning.”
As if on cue, the lights flickered and we lost power. I
heard Kiera scream from upstairs and I immediately rushed to her bedroom. She
was standing there
holding a flashlight underneath her chin. The entire room was dark, except for
her lit-up, wide-eyed face.
“I’m shaking I’m so scared!,” she said. After I helped her
get changed, I told her we were going to take shelter in the basement. She then
pointed the flashlight to her bed and hurriedly spoke, “Wait! My stuffed
animals!”
The seven of us stayed downstairs, and by that I mean
myself, Kiera, James, Shannon, Mr. Frog, Mr. Bear and Miss Pony. We had
flashlights and the comfort of each other. That was just enough.
The
power was out, the skies were dark, the wind was strong, the rain was loud… and
to a kid (or anybody, for that matter!), it was scary. Eventually, the storm did pass, along with our fear.
As humans, we will always face storms. But as Christians,we never have to worry about losing the Light, because He lives inside of us.
Everyday, we walk in the light
of His presence, as the Psalmist writes (89:15). With Him, there is no darkness. That's a pretty amazing thought!
I love what is said in Isaiah 60:19:
“The sun will no more
be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the
LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.”
God’s light is a forever-burning flame. Every time we glance
at the fiery sun or the brilliance of the moon, we are looking at the Light of
the World.
C.S. Lewis, among his many other talents, was a man who
sought after the heart of God. At age 15, Lewis became an atheist after growing
up in a Christian home. It was not until studying English at the University of
Oxford when Lewis slowly began to re-embrace Christianity. He went on to become
one of the greatest intellectual giants of the 20th century and
arguably one of the greatest Christian influences of all time.
He once famously said,
“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen; not only
because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”
How true! With God lighting and leading the way, we not only see the world more clearly... we see it differently.
As much as Kiera loved her stuffed animals, so are we even more precious to God. When the storms inevitably come, we are the first thing He thinks
to protect, save, hold onto, and promise everything's gonna be okay.
God’s eternal light shines within our hearts, and no storm can
ever put out His power.
-Rachel
Wow, Rachel! That's a great analogy (again).
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info on C. S. Lewis....I didn't know about the time he was an atheist!
God's power IS always there...it's SO easy for us to forget that or put our trust in lesser things.
Love Lewis' quote about the sun...when I see it come up while running in the mornings, it NEVER gets old. It's like a 'wake up' call to the world....and HE has decided to show His light on everything! He is SO awesome.