Ephesians 5:13-14

Day 48

But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. For this reason it says, “Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Ephesians 5:13-14

Every Parent’s Experience
When our kids were young, if I stepped on a toy in the middle of the night, the probability of its permanent removal from our home was directly proportional to the amount of pain inflicted.  Foam swords and rubber snakes were OK while Thomas the Train and Legos were definitely OUT.  In fact, prior to going to bed I would make one final pass through the house to clear a path.  All parents of young kids get into this habit.  The middle of the night scenarios are all too familiar.  Deep sleep is interrupted with yells for help due to a bad dream, sickness, or the dog climbing into their bed.  It is so disorienting.  First, you have to deal with the notion that the noise really exists and that it is not the machinations of REM-laced dreams.  It is not uncommon to receive spousal assistance at this point, with a foot in the small of the back, pushing us out of the bed. This gentle nudge provides verification that the noise we heard, does in fact, comes from the real world.  Second, now standing we attempt to navigate the narrowest of doorways.  Most bedroom doors are a standard 32 inches wide, at least that is the width during the daytime.  In the middle of the night the doorway somehow shrinks to a mere 12 inches, causing numerous abrasions on arms, legs and head if not perfectly navigated.  Exiting the bedroom, battered and bruised, and now officially awake, and the ultimate challenge awaits. 

The parent of small children must navigate the most dangerous stretch of flooring known to humanity.  The living room includes plenty of adult sponsored obstacles, like coffee tables, end tables, and sofas.  However, having been rousted from a catatonic state, those objects are now faintly visible.  The added benefit to furniture is that these items usually remain stationary from day to day.  The real risk for the blurry eyed traveler is the land mines supplied by the kids.  With each step, the parental traveler is mere moments from paralyzing, tear inducing, knee buckling pain.  The most feared and dreaded toy is the light saber. These Star Wars weapons receive low marks on three fronts: 1) sharp edges, 2) noisy and 3) they light up.  One poor encounter can send a sleepy adult scrambling to the floor, trying to figure out how to turn the stupid thing off, all while suppressing the scream from the shooting foot pain.  By the time the parent finally gets to the kids’ room, there is virtually no way of calming down child or parent enough to get back to sleep.  “Dad, Sam won’t get out of my bed.”  Now the dog becomes a moving obstacle all the way back to bed.  Dogs just seem to know right where to walk in order to add even more drama on the complex obstacle course for the return to bed.  After all of that, the question might press us, “Why did God create darkness?”

God separated darkness and light in the initial creation account.  “Let there be light!” Did not eliminate darkness. Light shone in the darkness as a separating force, light from darkness. And now, that same separation of darkness and light happens everyday, all day.  In this case, I’m not referring to the rising and setting of the sun, but the moral separation between choices that honor God and choices that rebel against Him.  We are believers in Christ Jesus. Believers are children of light.  Paul declared that we should wake up and that “Christ will shine on you.”  It would made the walk to the kid’s room in the middle of the night less dangerous if we would wake up and turn on the lights.  Walking in this life is challenging.  Traps exist all around.  With the lights off, the treachery of sin would surely overwhelm us.  Christ Jesus, the Light of the World, created the light. Just as He broke through the physical darkness with His spoken word, “let there be light,” He has broken through our spiritually dark world with His spoken words, “Father, forgive them.”  We are not in the darkness.  We are in the light because we are children of light.  Through the grace given to us, God has spoken over our lives just as He did the physically dark universe.  Now, because of the Light of the world, we are children of light.  

For the believer, the time is midday. The sun shines bright. Sleeping in darkness does not fit the purpose of the child of light.  Spiritually, morally, ethically, and relationally, we must wake up! The light is shining, separating truth from lies and righteousness from sin. 

Suggested Prayer:  God, You saved us and brought us back from death.  Now we are children of light.  Grant us the power to walk in the light as You are in the light.

Ephesians