(https://grottonetwork.com/keep-the-faith/belief/faith-brings-light-to-dark-world/)
I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in darkness. ~John 12:46
There is a danger in verses such as this: What happens if you’re discouraged, fear-filled, anxious? What happens if your relationships with those at home feel strained, or lifeless, or distanced? What happens if you feel the darkness quite tangibly? Does this mean that you do not believe in Jesus as you thought you did? Does this mean that, maybe, Jesus’ ability to enlighten the lives of people is not what you thought it was?
The short answer is, No. Jesus of Nazareth is able to enlighten the lives of everyone who belives in him. And, no. Probably, if you’re reading this, you do believe in Jesus: that he is the Messiah, that he is the Son of God, that he is the way to the Father in fellowship with whom is life eternal.
It’s just that we don’t live in isolation. From the time we open our eyes in the morning to the time we close them at night – and even afterwards if our thought processes don’t settle down, we are barraged by a myriad of stimuli: Conversations, the weather, the news, our internal dialogue, the price of food, worries about our children and grandchildren, … the list goes on. Every interaction no matter how small or how large prompts a response from us. And, as the day progresses, these responses pile up. Pretty soon, our interior landscape looks like the kitchen counter after supper! Which, by the way, prompts another emotional response to add to the pile!
And, we crash. At least, we’re tired. It is in these moments that the darkness might seem most palbable and the Light most imperceptible.
The key words in our verse of the day, I think, are “should” and “remain.”
“…so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in darkness.”
Darkness is real. Stress is real. Illness is real. Relationships wax and wane. Dirty dishes are real. And, Jesus is real. The Father is real. The Holy Spirit is real. Salvation is real.
Faith involves choice. Jesus gives us the choice to not be overtaken by the darkness; to not remain in the darkness.
The task of the disciple is one which sometimes cannot be performed by one’s own will but only by the Spirit of Christ working within us: it is to choose Jesus and his victory over the persuasion of the darkness.
Because, the darkness is temporary, the Light that is Christ is eternal.