Light

Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life                      John 8:12

So technically, darkness is not a thing. Darkness is actually the absence of light. Just like cold is the absence of heat, dark is the absence of light. It takes energy to produce light and it takes energy to produce heat. No energy in a system means that it is dark and cold. It is dead.

I think about this stuff because I see that the physical world reflects the spiritual world. One could properly call this metaphysics I suppose, because it deals with the stuff of life that goes beyond the rules of physics and science. But I don’t want to get hung up on definitions. These are just my musings, and it connects my belief in God with my love of science.

God is the Creator of life, and he is the First Cause of all things. He is the energy that causes life. Where God’s energy is not welcomed or accepted, there is darkness. Where light does not prevail, darkness does. We know that night is typically a difficult time for people who are depressed, and also for people with dementia. Light is the great energizer, the hope of new and continued life.

Plants will literally lean into the light to gain more access to it. This phenomenon is called phototropism. Plants, by nature, seek the light. So, I think, should we. Light is healing. Sunlight, properly managed, is cleansing. Plants need light to grow and live, and so do we.

So, when Jesus said that he was the “light of the world”, he was quite serious, and quite correct. The light of the world is the life of the world.  

Prayer: Lord, you have given us the light, and your Son. Thank you for those gifts of light, Amen