I've spent a lot of time this past year chasing light, trying to capture in my work the glory of what I see in the midst of my everyday, seemingly mundane life. It's been a challenging, surprising and healing experience, one I feel called to share with others.
After suddenly leaving my full time job almost a year ago, I turned my attention back to making art and towards a season of personal healing. At the time, I sensed, but didn't fully grasp, that the pace of my life had left me tense, drained and unable to see the glory of God and the needs of others all around me. Once I stopped running and started walking, I heard the Spirit regularly whispering to me, "Look up."
Inevitably, there before me would be a glorious scene--an array of clouds, or trees, or a sky of an unimaginable color--and I would repeatedly sigh, "thank you," knowing that, in the past, I would have completely missed it. I was missing the "light" that made life worth living! On a walk this summer, I snapped a photo of this scene, with its unbelievable blue sky and this majestic trio of pines standing like proud guardians. I went home and set about to capture the scene and the way the light had made me feel.
This week, I came upon the same scene, but on a cloudy, drizzly fall day. The light had changed and the trees appeared dark and ordinary, the sky gray and damp. The interesting thing is, the sun was still there, just as before--it was only obscured and diffused by the clouds. The glory was not gone, it was just more difficult to see.
Perhaps you are in a season of celebration, a season where you feel uplifted and it is easy to be thankful and full of praise. On the other hand, if you are walking through a season of weariness, sorrow, grief, loneliness or despair, may this illustration remind you that the Light is not gone, it is only obscured by life's circumstances. And may I challenge you, that if you look up and release your burdens to the Light of the World, that Light will never depart from you and will fill your heart even in the darkest of days.
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)