The Light in Truth

Last night I received a text from a friend asking for prayer for a sweet woman who was emotionally drained. She had reached her breaking point. The fear and the darkness were creeping in around her like a slow, thick fog. The panic. The pain. The hopelessness were feeling way too real. My friend simply asked me to pray.

Life is like that sometimes, isn't it? Especially around the holidays. Even when we have blessings abounding around us, there is that one thing that is just not quite right. That place in our hearts that feels empty. Raw even.

I talked to so many people over the last week that were smiling on the outside. But I know their stories. And underneath the facade, the fear was crouching. One of them said to me that she turned off her computer during a holiday week. Not because she wanted to unplug but because she needed to stop herself from coveting. She said that one day of reading all the blessing posts and looking at all the perfectly posed pictures could send her into depression. The real kind. The kind that if she let it would put her to bed. Or worse. She asked me to pray for her.

Darkness is just that. Dark. A place of lies. The ones we believe even when they make no logical sense. But when Truth is allowed in, the darkness flees. Because their is light in truth. Even when the truth is painful or ugly or hurtful. When we allow ourselves to see truth exposed by His Light somehow it isn't as scary. The Light begins to make the shadows disappear. Things don't seem so dark and big.

So today, sweet friends, allow the Light in. Let it shine into your dark places. There is real healing inside that Light. There is Truth that can illuminate even the darkest places. Jesus is the Light of the world and the darkness cannot overcome it! That is truly good news...

"The light shines in the darkness, 

and the darkness has not overcome it." 

John 1:5

"What does this mean, Daddy?"

Last night as the TV continued to blare in the background, I lay in bed next to my sweet husband. We watched. We listened. We prayed. We struggled. We laughed. And in the middle of it all both of our adult daughters called or texted their daddy.

Both asked the same question. "What does this mean, Daddy?" What will this mean for your business? What will this mean for our future? What does all this mean? They needed to be heard and to feel safe. So they called their daddy.

My heart just smiled at his responses. He encouraged. He reminded. He made them feel safe. But mostly he pointed them to their only Hope...

Isn't that what we should be doing too? Asking what does this mean, Abba? Everyday and in every circumstance. Not just today or tomorrow. But at all times. We live in uncertain days. No matter where we stand politically or financially. We are not promised tomorrow.

Now is the time to know because we know because we know. We need to know what we believe. And why. We need to know where our Hope comes from. And how we know that. We need to know what Truth is. And how to convey it to others. We need to stop looking to the right or to the left. We need to look straight ahead. Because that is where we will find the answers. That is where our strength lies.

What this means, sweet girls, is that your soul will find rest in God alone. He is your rock and your salvation. And He gave you an earthly daddy that has shown you that truth and continues to point you toward that hope. You have been given a foundation that will hold for generations to come...

"Praise the name of God forever and ever, 

for He has all wisdom and power. 

He controls the course of world events; 

He removes kings and sets up other kings. 

He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge tot he scholars.

 He reveals deep and mysterious things 

and knows what lies hidden in darkness, 

though He is surrounded by light." 

Daniel 2:20-22 NLT