But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory. (2 Cor. 3:18)
Dearest Daughters,
I recently had a conversation with an Alaskan man that got my attention. He was talking about the constant problem people in Alaska, and in many northern countries, have with a vitamin D deficiency in their bodies.
Vitamin D is the vitamin our bodies get by regular exposure to sunlight. It’s absorbed through watching a sunset or sunrise, and by simply living in the sun. This vitamin helps the body absorb calcium and strengthens the bones, muscles, and teeth, and it even contributes to our emotional well-being. However, after long months of dark winters, especially in places where the sun barely peeks above the horizon for an hour or two each day, many people become depressed, weak, exhausted, and feel physically depleted. Some even develop bone disorders that cause their bones to be brittle and fragile. What struck me was that even many people who are very health conscious and faithfully take their vitamin D supplements, still discover, through bloodwork, that they are vitamin D deficient!
And interestingly, vitamin D deficiency is becoming increasingly common even in places filled with sunshine, simply because so many people spend enormous amounts of time indoors, on screens, without regular natural light.
But it especially affects the far north after long winters. This got me thinking about spiritual life, because we need light both naturally and spiritually.
Naturally, light strengthens us. It lifts our mood, strengthens muscles and bones, and keeps us from becoming brittle and injury-prone. Without enough light, people become weak.
I believe that spiritually speaking, the same thing can happen. Jesus so often used things in the physical world like light, bread, water, the body, ligaments, joints, sight, blindness, fruit and seed to describe spiritual elements.
So what is “light” according to Scripture? One of the primary ways we receive light is through the Word of God. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Ps. 119:105)
So it’s the Word of God that brings light into dark places. And I don’t believe this refers only to our own private reading of Scripture, though that is definitely essential. I also believe it includes the living and active Word preached through those whom God sends to us.
As Romans says:
“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach). (Rom. 10:8)
Faith is ignited when the Word comes alive through those God sends us, then enters our hearts, and begins to come forth from our own mouths also.
This is why it is so important to know that we have spiritually situated ourselves where we have access to this Word. We need to be in places where the Word of God is living, active, declared and embodied.
Another way light comes to us is through the unveiled faces of our brothers and sisters.
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory. (2 Cor. 3:18)
When believers walk honestly and transparently before God and one another, they begin to reflect His light back upon each other. We become beams of God’s reflected glory, like mirror we catch the light of Jesus and shine it into one another’s lives. This is why fellowship and community are so vital.
We need to be in the presence of people whose lives shine the presence of God on us and to us, and we ourselves are called to become that kind of light for others.
When we walk in the presence of His people, we are also walking in the atmosphere of His presence.
And then there is the matter of our own transparency before God. Light can’t penetrate through tinted windows. When we layer our lives with endless distractions, manipulation, dishonesty, resentment, pride, or self-protection, we become opaque and stop seeing clearly. We stop receiving or reflecting light clearly.
True honesty is more than merely abstaining from telling a direct lie. It is a vulnerable openness before God and His people and becoming an untinted windows.
I remember seasons in my own life when I didn’t even realize how little light I was receiving until I stepped back into the light again. Everything had become dim and distorted, causing my relationships to become confusing. In that dullness, every problem became exaggerated and frightening. A shadowy “stump in the yard” began to look like a bear on a dark Alaskan winter evening, and spiritually, that same thing can happen.
Without enough light, we begin seeing our brothers, our circumstances, and even ourselves through distortion, judgment, and fear. But a moment in the light of the presence of God and His people can cast out the dark distortions, and everything becomes clear again.
And what are the “muscles” and “bones” of spiritual life that can become weakened without light?
They are the inner strength and flexibility that allow us to move with grace, humility, courage, forgiveness, and endurance in every capacity God has called us to walk in. When those spiritual bones become weak and brittle, fractures begin to appear in our hearts, and they spread to relationships, families, and even whole churches.
Ephesians says that the whole body is joined and strengthened by “that which every joint supplies” (Eph. 4:16).
When ligaments tear apart, relationships begin to unspiral, and our fellowship with God’s people all but disappears, one of the first questions we should ask is, Am I getting enough light?
Am I receiving the Word of God, in Scripture and through the living voice of believers whom God sends into my life?
Am I walking in fellowship where His face shines upon me through my brothers and sisters?
And am I keeping my own heart transparent before Him, without tinted windows?
God desires vibrant, joyful, healthy Christians. He longs for His people to be strong in spirit, to move with suppleness to His love, and to be radiant in His presence.
So step into the light in every way you can. The winter doesn’t have to last forever. Even in the far north, the sun eventually rises again. And in Christ, that summer Sun can shine even at midnight.
With all my love,
Mom
Amen. Even at midnight:)