“Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, ‘I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness because you will have the light that leads to life.’” John 8:12
In C.S. Lewis’s book, “The Magician’s Nephew,” there is a line that caught my eye: “Things always look better when the light is behind you.” Reading that, this is what came to my mind: When we are following Jesus, he lights up our path. When light is in front of us, we are at least partially blinded from seeing the full beauty around us. When light is behind us, we are able to see not only how beautiful things are but how they radiate in the light. Think of when the sunset is behind where you’re looking. I think heaven is going to be like that moment when the light shifts from in front of us to behind us. We will be able to fully see the beauty of everything around us, and the darkness will be overtaken by light. We will then see the beauty of people, nature, heaven, and, mostly, God.
We look forward to Heaven when everything will be illuminated. Take time to remember and consider how much can change when we look at difficult situations in life from a different angle as well. Perspective matters.
I think of photography when I think about the angle of the light. When I am taking a photo and the light is behind the subject, it turns the subject into a silhouette. Silhouette shots are really cool but they expose few details. On the other hand, when the light is behind me, the shot shows the subject clearly. It’s a good analogy of the way we are able to see God on this side of heaven. We can only see an outline and only get an idea of what is really there until when the light is shifted and we can see God face to face in radiant glory. Only then are we able to experience His fullness and true beauty.
While wakeboarding, I was trying to get some shots of my friend, Doug. The pictures were washed out because of where we were in relation to the sun. Once the boat was turned around, everything was illuminated and the photos were great! All the frustration of trying to get something great was gone as soon as we changed our angle and perspective. I look forward to when I get to heaven and shift my view like they did that day to show the radiance and beauty of Christ and shine light on all the dark parts of the path I traveled to get there.
Challenge
- What dark areas in your life do you want to see light break into?
- How can you change your perspective now to better see the opportunities all around you?
By Ben Palsha| Twinsburg, OH