“God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5
The nondescript dark gray building sits on the other side of town in an industrial area. There are no windows; you enter through a steel door in what appears to be the back of the building. Unimpressive and unremarkable. When you pull open the heavy door and step inside, it takes a moment for your eyes to adjust. No matter how brightly the sun may be shining outside, the brilliance of the expanse before you takes your breath away and leaves you momentarily blinded.
Spotlights blaze from the ceiling, floor, and walls causing beams of light to sparkle and dance across the gallery bringing to life every glass masterpiece in its path. Bathed in light, the rainbow colors of the glass sing in joyful harmony – even the clear crystal glassworks have a glorious song to sing. Dazzling.
Habatat Detroit Fine Art, the oldest and largest art gallery in the U.S. devoted exclusively to fine glass art works, has for the past fifty years hosted an annual international exhibition of works by the world’s greatest glass artists. It is an amazing event that is open to the public; we do our best to attend each year – it never disappoints.
This year, after exploring the featured gallery space, we moved into the smaller exhibit galleries. I was immediately struck by the difference in the lighting. The smaller exhibit areas were darker and had small, focused ceiling spotlights on individual glass pieces. The glass works were beautifully displayed, and the colors were brilliant, but the vibrancy and animation of each piece was subdued in comparison to large brightly lit gallery.
From there we climbed the stairway to the upper floor where the dim lighting was augmented by small spotlights placed in individual display cubbies for smaller glass works. The craftsmanship and artistry of each piece was evident, but the overall impact was rather anemic.
Scattered amongst the lighted display cubbies, were dark cubbies where the spotlights had burned out. In those darkened cubes, it was difficult to see the colors of the glass, there was no sparkle, no reflection of light. Dead and lifeless. The craftmanship and artistry was hidden by the darkness.
I so wanted to take one of the unlit pieces of glass downstairs to the main brightly lit gallery to give the lifeless glass a chance to come to life – to shine and show its colors in the light, but galleries tend to frown upon patrons taking it upon themselves to relocate the artwork, so I left the glass untouched.
The analogy to my Christian walk seemed clear to me as I looked at the forlorn glass sitting in the dark cubby: the further we are from our source of light, the less alive we become.
The reverse is also true, the closer we are to our light source the more alive and vibrant we become.
Friend, we are meant to be Light Walkers!
… God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:5-7
Jesus said that He is the light of the world. As Christ followers, we no longer walk in darkness.
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.“ John 8:12
“For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.” Psalm 56:13
That is the Good News of the Gospel! In Jesus, we are no longer in darkness. However, as I witnessed in the glass gallery, proximity to the light source makes a difference in the amount of light and life that is reflected.
Are you a Light Walker?
Are you walking closely to your Savior or is the darkness of sin or your past clinging to you?
“I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” John 12:46
Is the light of God’s Word illuminating your path?
“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105
“The unfolding of Your Words gives light…”. Psalm 119:130
Are you walking boldly and fearlessly in the light of God’s grace and promise?
“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1
Is your walk one of joy and obedience as you walk in alignment with God’s heart?
“Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.” Psalm 97:11
It is the light of His presence that fills us and shines through us. Just as light beams radiate through the artisan’s glasswork bringing it to life while exposing brilliant refractions of color and depth, so God’s light dispels all our darkness and illuminates our lives with His radiance.
The closer you walk to your God and Savior, the brighter His Light shines upon you and through you. We must realize that we are not Light Makers; without Christ, we are in darkness. We are to be Light Walkers.
“For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light do we see light.” Psalm 36:9