Lighting Up the Darkness - Martin Wiles

You light a lamp for me. The LORD, my God, lights up my darkness. Psalm 18:28 NLT

As soon as the time changed, the darkness crept in.

Although I love the fall and winter months, changing from Daylight Saving Time to normal time brings a little gloom. For some, it leads to SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). I’m not sure I’ve ever contracted SAD, but I tend to get sad during the cold months when there is less daylight. Ironically, I also want to watch holiday movies that exacerbate my gloomy mood. Movies that make me long for a past that will never return. 

Not only is the outside darker, but the inside is also. This means more light—which those in the know say heightens SAD. When I made all the clocks in the house fall back, I also turned on more lights. Instead of just a lamp, I used several lamps and the overhead light. More light lifts my mood, even though they raise the utility bill. 

But some darkness has nothing to do with seasonal changes. The psalmist knew all about it. It was the darkness he felt when pursued by enemies. Those who wanted to make his life miserable … dark … or who wanted to destroy it altogether. Those who wanted him sad instead of happy. Those who wanted to harm his family. 

Just as we can’t change the daytime-nighttime cycle, we can’t change periods of darkness that assault us throughout our lifetime either. They will come—disguised as depression, hurt, anger, frustration, broken relationships, rebellious children, lost jobs, failed classes, addictions, and disappointments. 

What we can do is turn to the one who can light up dark periods. Regardless of what dark period he faced, the psalmist turned to God to light up his life. God will do the same for anyone who asks—but particularly his children. Jesus said he was the light of the world and then told his followers to be light too. 

Letting God shine light into our dark moments turns on the light, lifts our spirits, gives us hope, and changes our perspective. When God turns on the light, it enables us to turn on the light in others’ lives. Everyone faces moments of darkness and needs a little light in their life. 

God can enable you to be a light bearer. All you must do is ask.

Father, may I bear your light of love and compassion to a dark and hurting world. 

If you seek hope and healing because of hurts you have faced, then Hurt, Hope, and Healing is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Time to Change - Anita van der Elst

Come and see what God has done, his awesome deeds for mankind! Psalm 66:5 NIV

Fall back. Spring ahead. Just when we get used to one, it’s time to change. 

For most of us in the United States, the switch between daylight saving time and standard time occurs twice a year. Originally put in place during World War I to conserve fuel and power, and then abolished at war’s end, the Uniform Time Act was passed in 1966. But it has never made sense to me.

After all, God created systems that help us know day from night. He put everything into place—sun, moon, stars, planets, all we see and don’t see. For thousands of years, people knew nothing about molecules, atoms, viruses, or anything microscopic, and had no means to do so. But God also gave people minds and brains to wonder and think, the desire to explore, and the ability to discover and invent. And still there is much we have yet to see and discover.

How thankful we are that the Holy Spirit gives us understanding as we discover what God tells us in his word. No matter how we manipulate the way we measure the passing of time, all of our times are in God’s hands. 

The important thing is how we spend the minutes and hours in those times. Do we give attention to learning more about God and sharing his most awesome deed for us? In his love, he sent his Son, Jesus, the Messiah, to live on earth. And by his grace, he offers us eternal life in heaven when we believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Are you ready for what lies beyond your time on earth? If not, it’s time to change. Make sure that your destination is heaven by acknowledging your need for Jesus and believing in Him.

Anita van der Elst finds joy in creating with words, believing God gifted her with the desire to do so. Married to her best friend, Edward, since 1976, she is a proud mom of four adult children and Oma to three of the most delightful grandchildren ever. Other joys in her life include bringing beauty to Facebook through photos she takes on her iPhone, exploring the state parks in the PNW, facilitating a small group of women, and participating in a Bible study.

I invite you to try my book Hurt, Hope, and Healing in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.