Cats are kind of known for chasing shiny things, particularly sun reflections, flashlight spots, laser pointers, etc. We babysat our grand-dog this weekend and quite accidentally noticed that this giant, 100-pound dog had the same tendency. A friend was standing in the sun and the reflection from his watch was dancing in the shade just a few feet from him. The giant pup, aptly named Moose, began dancing with the small square reflection as it moved around on the ground. He seemed truly joyful to chase this light around because when it disappeared, he sadly looked everywhere for it. When it would reappear, he would excitedly chase, pounce, and run in circles trying his best to catch it. My husband commented that Moose was channeling his inner feline as he chased the light.
We had to leave this happy gathering to go celebrate the life of a friend of mine who was taken too quickly. What a hole the absence of our friend will leave on this planet. She too was a joyful soul who truly chased after and danced in the light. The light of Jesus.
Jesus said “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) Jesus IS light. God created the world with His Word, whom Jesus is likened to in John 1:1-4, where we are told Jesus is the Word of God who was present in the beginning of creation, and that without Him, nothing was created. The first thing The Word brought into being during creation was light (Genesis 1:3). Their being generated this light. (Revelation 21:23) There was no sun, moon, or star yet created!
In the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Joshua, when the Israelites were wandering in the desert after being set free from slavery in Egypt, they were led by the Lord who took on the appearance of a pillar of light. If the light moved, so did the Israelites (Exodus 40:36-38). They chased the light. There was a lampstand in the Tabernacle which was the worship center of these nomad Israelites. This was the place where the Lord resided among the people. The light of the lampstand was never to go out. It represented His presence ALWAYS being with His people. Once Jesus came, He became that eternal Light. When He was here on earth, He was the light. When He ascended to heaven after His death, burial, and resurrection, He left His Holy Spirit with us as the continual Light of His presence among us. (John 16:13)
If you study the definition of darkness, scientifically, it is not an entity unto itself, but rather, it is the absence of light. Jesus says that if we follow Him, we will never walk in darkness. Our gift as believers in Jesus is to perpetually be in the Light. The closer we are to it, the brighter our life is. Spiritually, our light is Jesus. Emotionally, the light He gives is hope. Physically, His light is peace. The pursuits of the world lead to the absence of light because nothing lasts or fills us like the joy of Jesus. It isn’t a circumstantial light, but a transcendent one. In the happy times, as well as the heartaches, we can dance in the light! Sometimes it is so hard. Circumstances can trick us into thinking that there is no way that Jesus’s light could be in the midst of this situation because it hurts so badly. But He tells us, “In Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
I love light. Summertime, when there is more daylight. A brightly lit place or room. Being in the presence of someone whose personality lights up a room. My favorite all-time Light is when I can actually feel the presence/nearness of Jesus. It fills me with a joy and exuberance that you can’t buy on Amazon. And it lasts. Eternally. Let’s channel our inner feline and dance in the Light!
