There are drops of coffee all over my new counter. As I pour, more drops slide to the light surface. Has this pot been leaking all of this time? Maybe our old pitch-dark counters hid the leak. Seeing it makes me want to fix the problem. This is a mess every time we pour.
It made me wonder…what else is hiding in the darkness?
As old friends entered the new of our kitchen, their faces lit up. It was different. It was light. One of them said, “What happened to the cave?”
Seriously, she said that. We didn’t move anything. Counters are in the same place. Updated appliances reclaimed the same spots. It just needed new life.
It is a bit odd that the contrast of the old and new…the dark and light…has me thinking about my own light. About the time we moved into this home, my light for Christ burned strong. I was on fire because He had made my life anew. Over the past decade plus, have I withdrawn to my cave?
“I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” – John 12:46
Back then, my goal in life was to pour my faith out, to share with as many people as I could. I knew the power of the message of the gospel. It had transformed me and I wanted to share it so that others would find the light. In theory, nothing has changed. Just like my old coffee pot, my purpose is the same. But, maybe I am leaking a bit. Maybe the enthusiasm that showed up in the past is hidden in my own dark.
It is actually the perfect analogy. After finding Christ, I have lived in the light. I dove head first into a life surrounded by Him. In my heart, in my family, and in my work. If darkness has seaped back in me, now when I try to share my faith, I wonder if others see the drips of darkness break through the bright light that once shown full.
They know that my hunger for His Word is not quite as insatiable…
That the fruit of self-discipline has dried up a bit…
That at times Satan’s darkness overcomes me in long sleepless nights…
I bet the contrast is as great as black coffee on a white counter.
Thankfully, a new coffee pot is on it’s way from Amazon. It will only take two days with our Prime membership.
But even more thankfully, is God’s faithfulness. I know He can fix the leaks in me also. I remember. I remember what He did on the Cross 2,000 years ago. I remember finding Him 15 years ago, and I remember the peace that came from finally having a Savior. The realization that I wasn’t in control and had never been. The weight that fell from my shoulders and my heart.
I used to pray that I would never fall away from Him. All of my believing friends would share the different times in their lives when they felt distant from God. Where the darkness had crept back in. It took me so long to find Him to begin with, I never wanted to fall away. I didn’t want the light to fade.
Hopefully, it is just a small leak. A few drops that had to show up on the counter for me to know I need to focus on His light. I know it may take more than the two-day Amazon Prime delivery for me to reclaim the promises of Christ in my life. But it only takes a second for Christ to be there for me. All I have to do is turn to the light and He is there.
Thanks be to God for His faithfulness and love. Thanks be to God for His Son.
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” – John 1:5
Whoa! Excellent comparison! Wonderful message! I loved hearing it & I know you will reach many with this. I needed to hear he will be hear in a second for me when the darkness hits! Thanks for your great insight! Happy New Year!