In the Light

It's 8:10 am.  My son has gone through the house and turned off all the lights, asking that I not turn them back on.  "Cause this is a very dark forest, Mommy, and I'm looking for something."  Flashlight in hand, he's navigating the bedrooms and hallways.

"What are you looking for, Bug?"  I question.

"I don't know yet!  I won't know until I find it.  You can help if you want to, though."

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Doesn't that sound familiar?  How many time have you or I wandered aimlessly, looking for "something?"

I do it all the time.  I'm doing it right now, to an extent.  I have a dream, a goal.  I'm going to be a writer!  (You may argue that I am a writer, but I'm going to be paid for it.  I am.  Somehow.)

But we wander.  We wander through the forest.  We pick our way over and under, trying desperately to navigate our circumstances.  Often we don't know what it is we really want or need, but we know it's out there.  We can feel it.  We know there has to be something!  And so we keep looking, wandering, stumbling through, until:

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"Don't worry, Mommy.  I found what I was looking for!"

"What was it?"

"It was this penny right here.  I forgot you gave it to me the other day, but now I found it, so I remember.  Thanks for giving me a penny!"

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We eventually find what we were looking for all along!  Or at least, if we keep at it, keep searching, we find something that fills our needs, whether it's what we think we were looking for or not.

Here's the catch, though, as I see it.  I learned this from my 3 year old.  We have to walk in the light.  That's right.  I said it.  If we walk out of the light, into the darkness, we'll be blind.  We won't be able to see what's right there before us, waiting to be found.  We won't be able to find the gifts that have already been given to us, because we'll be too focused on trying not to fall along the way!

But is we walk in the light, like Bugsy did behind his flashlight, we'll be able to see what's before us.  Sometimes it's a dim view, a vague understanding.  That's how I feel right now.  I can see the outline of what's in store, but haven't gotten close enough to view the details just yet.

But it's there.

And the only way I'll find it...the only way you'll find it...is to keep pressing on, through the darkness, and walk in the light.

Thank you, three year old, for reminding me to walk in the light!

Dear Lord, you've given me all the tools I need to navigate my way through the dark forest.  Help me to remember to stay in your Light, to walk with you, and to follow closely.  I know that the opportunities are out there.  I know that you've already set a path for me.  I just need to follow closely to you and you'll show me, glimpse by precious glimpse, the gifts and treasures you've already laid out.  Thanks for walking with me!