Don’t be afraid of the dark, there’s light in the darkness

For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6

Growing up as a Christian I have always approached life with an understanding that I cannot fail because God is with me. That is correct. However, I never understood that walking with God in certain aspects of my life would involve learning, and learning sometimes involves failure. Failure is never the destination, but on our way to the abundance that God has for us, challenges and temporal failures can be a part of the journey.  

Because of my limited understanding years ago, it broke my heart every time I experienced failure. I would feel so bad, I would question where my God was, how can I fail when I prayed about this? How can I fail when God is with me? Little did I know that as I walked with God, in the places where I faced darkness or temporal failure, was the light I needed to break into success. But because I was so caught up in the pain and disappointment of having these experiences as a Christian I never saw the light. I was so focused on praying to God to change that situation, I was never able to ask and receive the light hidden in that darkness. 

I’ll give you a quick example, as I read the story of how Airbnb started, I smiled at myself knowing that if God has given me that idea it would never have seen the light of day because of my previous religious mindset. Brian Chesky was in debt, living with his friend and unable to pay rent. It was in that condition that they came up with the crazy idea of renting out a space in their apartment to help them make some money. This crazy idea that was born from the place of a lack of rent became a business worth $31 billion today. If I was the one in that situation, my prayer would be Lord take me out, provide for me so i can pay my rent, please help me to never be in this situation again. My prayer would not be open my eyes. If God had given me the idea of renting out a space in my apartment, I would have obeyed because i needed the money. However, my religious mind would never have recognized that as an opportunity, as light in the place of my darkness.

My religious mind would say, it is not my portion to be renting out my house, because my narrow definition of abundance or success is owning your house. If you want to rent, you should have rental properties not rent your house. Secondly, how can I wish others to be in need so much they have to rent out a portion of their house to get an extra income. God forbid, it’s not their portion. Thirdly because my focus is deliverance, God can you please deliver me, just provide money for my rent, I’m so focused on deliverance that I miss out on the idea He gives, the opportunity He presents to me, the light hidden in my darkness. 

The understanding of the concept of light in the darkness differentiates those that experience God’s overflow and abundance from those who do not. In our circular world, it differentiates the successful from the average. Many successful people would tell you that there is always something you glean out of a challenge or failure that positions you for success. Their mindset towards obstacles and failures make them unafraid to fail and conditions them to seek opportunities and lessons in such places. 

Right now, I’m learning to embrace the challenges and failures that come as I journey through life. I have come to understand that God does not just want me to be delivered from the difficult situation but He wants me to come out with a measure of light from that place that impacts my world. The Holy Spirit said to me, there is a measure of God’s light hidden in darkness. Don’t be afraid of the dark, don’t be afraid of failing or of difficulty, there is a dimension of light that can only be accessed in darkness. So when I encounter these unpleasant places in life, I’m learning to seek light even as I trust Him for deliverance.

If you’re in a challenging spot today in any aspect of your life, I’ve come to say FEAR NOT. Don’t be afraid, there’s light hidden in that dark place. As you trust God to bring you deliverance, I want you to also seek light. Ask God to open your eyes that you may encounter the light He has hidden in your darkness. Remember if you seek, you’ll find. Seek light and be rest assured you won’t come out with just what you need, you’ll come out with your cup overflowing into the lives of others. 

There’s light in your darkness.