Warning. This story can upset your stomach unless you like watching Man vs. Wild at Discovery Channel or Bizarre foods by Andrew Zimmern of Travel Channel. There is a story of a hungry man who lit a candle and sat down to eat a bowl of dates. The man took a bite of a date and saw a worm in it, so he threw the date away and selected another. He took a bite of another date, and it too, contained a worm. So, the man threw this date away as well. Concerned that all of the dates contained worms, the hungry man blew out the candle and quickly ate the rest of the dates.
Why am I sharing this story? It came to mind recently after I was talking to a friend of mine who was obviously so blinded in how he lives his life. How can I better describe it? Excessive. His is a life of “I don’t care.” It is a life of indifference. All he cares about is himself. I see him slowly being poisoned by his lifestyle and attitude. His smoking, drinking and other vices are starting to kill him. But he does not care.
As his friend, I sought to enlighten him. I tried sharing with him what life is about and how God desires for him to be healthy and happy. But as I tried to show him the “worms” in his life, he quickly shut me down. He said, he knows that he is living a dangerous life but he does not want to hear what I have to say. He was afraid that if he learns the whole truth, he cannot continue his lifestyle.
Hence, I remembered the story I just mentioned. He is like that man who prefers to eat in the dark so he would not see the worms. Isn’t that really sad?
People often choose to live in the darkness, in denial, rather than in the reality that light brings.
The Bible says that God is light. That’s a good thing! God is light in that He is holy and pure. As the book of James announces, He is the “Father of lights”…in whom there is no variation, darkness or shifting shadow.
Early on in the Biblical account, God separates light from darkness. He calls the light “good.” Throughout the Bible, darkness is not a good thing. On the cross, during the middle of the day, darkness encompassed the earth, demonstrating the bleakness of the power of sin that Jesus was conquering. Darkness is always a symbol of impurity, ignorance, being lost and evil. Now, that should be a clue to us about how we should live.
We are called by God to live in the light. We are to live in the light of Jesus, choosing to embrace truth, openness, forgiveness, courage and humility. Although we may try to hide from the exposure that God’s light brings to the darkness in our lives, it is light that brings healing. You know that there are areas of your life where God wants to shine.
Today, pray that you can live in His light. Don’t hide out in darkness! Let God turn on His light in and through you!
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