LIVING IN THE LIGHT: A SIMPLE EXAMPLE

If we love others, we live in the light…. But if we hate others, we are in the darkness; we walk in it and do not know where we are going, because the darkness has made us blind. 1 John 2:10-11 [GNT]

Light and Darkness

Light and darkness are important symbols for the Apostle John. In his gospel, John characterizes Jesus as light and the forces that try to overcome him as darkness: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out.” (John 1:5). In a letter he wrote to be circulated among the early churches, he continues this contrast. According to John, we either live in the light or we wander around blind in the darkness. (See above, 1 John 2:10-11). 

Living in the Light: a Simple Example

A few days ago I experienced the light John wrote about. It sprang from an ordinary action. My next-door neighbor, Phyllis, is in her early nineties. Over the last four years we’ve become friends, dropping in for occasional visits or going out to lunch. A week ago Phyllis became quite ill.

The day after she came home from the hospital, I wanted to let her know how much she means to me. As I wondered what to do, I noticed two red blooms the size of dessert plates on a little hibiscus bush I have growing in a pot on my deck. I picked them and took them next door.

As I set the vase on the coffee table, Phyllis said, “Those flowers brighten up the whole room.” They did, but the light that meant most to me was the smile on her face. We shared a moment of living in the light.

Hibiscus flowers only last one day. The next morning my bush produced two more blooms, so I took them next door to replace the wilted ones. I won’t have flowers every day, but when I do, I plan to carry them to Phyllis so we can enjoy their light together.

Your Turn

When did you have a chance to live in the light by loving a neighbor? Or when did a neighbor bring light into your life?