"In this world of darkness we must shine, you in your small corner and I in mine."
The words of this song ring out the truth of our times. The darkness of this world seems to be increasing all around us. Be it in our local or national news, our communities, or international headlines, this darkness is palpable.
What a lovely and uplifting paragraph, right? The purpose of this epistle is not meant to state the obvious, I assure you. However, if you and I are to recognize the Sabbath for the pearl of great price that it is, we must understand the true impact it can have in our lives as a bastion of light.
Recently, I began my counseling practicum. It feels like I am consistently blown away by listening to the stories of pain and suffering in the lives of those God has granted me the privilege of ministering to. I'm vividly reminded of the sin and darkness in our world from an eye-level perspective. All the textbooks and classes in the world could never have prepared me for the emotional lurches I've experienced at the beginning of this journey. Lurches so severe, I have felt nauseous after hearing their stories of brokenness and pain. Honoring the blood of Jesus has never been so precious to wash away the impact of sin. Looking ahead to the end of my week, the Sabbath has never looked sweeter. I'm sure whatever you week has been like we all long for the coming of the Sabbath.
I was recently impacted by a connection I made with the Sabbath and my car. As many of you know, when you drive your vehicle at night you have the choice of either using your "high" beams or your "low" beams. Most of us consistently use our "low" beams in an attempt to not blind oncoming drivers. Often, we can get lulled into thinking what we see in our field-of-vision is all there is to see. When you switch on the "high" beams, an extended field-of-vision is brought into sight. You wondered how you could ever have settled for the "low" beam vision. Whether we realize it or not, our wee can consist of only using our "low" beams to pierce the darkness around us. We may think we're doing pretty well. Then we remember we have a "high" beam we can use. The Sabbath sheds a whole new world of light on our lives as we recharge our emotional, physical, and mental batteries from the wear-down of the week. It is a great opportunity to take stock of the week and realize not all the world is darkness because God is in control. We just couldn't see because our "high" beams weren't on. This week let's remember to enjoy the Sabbath, but let's also remember to keep our "high" beams on more often.
As Paul states to the Ephesians:
"I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called--his holy people who are his rich and gracious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe in him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else--not only in this world but in the world to come." Ephesians 1:18-21 NLT
Trusting you enjoy the next Sabbath with your "high" beams on.
Clyde