“LIGHT Is Pretty Cool”

The other day I went to the eye doctor. As part of the examination they shinned a very bright light into my eye. While I guess I’ve had that test over the years, this time the brightness was overwhelming. It was so bright, it was painful…I tried to blink and get away from it, but I couldn’t. Wow, I was overwhelmed by the brightness of the light and very happy when the exam was over. 

The scripture uses light to portray certain aspects of God. In Paul’s first letter to Timothy, he says, “He alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light…” (1Tim. 6:16) Wow, what is “unapproachable light?” Psalm 104, says “Bless the Lord my soul… Lord God how great you are, clothed in majesty and glory, wrapped in light as a robe”. (Ps. 104:1-4, 33-35) 

So awesome is God’s majesty, that before it, we are blinded. Remember St. Paul’s conversion….”As I made my journey and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone about me ….  now those who were with me saw the light … and when I could not see because of the brightness of that light….” (Acts 22:6-11) What a moment, the light of God rendered Paul helpless…it blinded Paul…. it got his attention… 

So what are we to make of the significance of light. Well, light arrived on the scene pretty early in the creation sequence. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.(Gen. 1:1-3) Light set things on the right track. 

Is there a conclusion to this particular BLOG…are we breaking any new ground? Well, I have to say LIGHT is “more than meets the eye”. (no pun intended). I never think about light, but it’s incredible…without light, we would live in darkness…it’s connected to almighty God in mysterious ways… it can be overwhelming and even painful. On a physical plane, it’s amazing… the speed of light is 186,282 miles per second… don’t try to outrun light. Of all light as described in the electromagnetic spectrum, visible light represents  only .0035%… wow, most of the light in the universe is, in fact, invisible to us. Okay, let’s calm down a bit. 

Beyond the physical element, light in the Bible stands for spiritual illumination and truth. It encompasses all that is pure, good, and holy, as opposed to the darkness of evil. … The symbolic light of truth and goodness is contrasted with deeds of darkness, which we are told to get rid of (Rom 13:12).

So, God is magnificent, and light is just one aspect of his greatness. We serve a great God and it’s going to take all of eternity to really get to know him. And that is going to be a lot of fun. “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5)