Move to the light
It’s normal to be apprehensive when we feel vulnerable and when we can’t see clearly it contributes to that vulnerability. In other words, being afraid of the dark and yes, when I was little, I was very afraid of the dark. It didn’t help that we lived in a creaky old house built somewhere in the late 1800s. We use to hear all sorts of things going bump in the night all the time. We all said it was haunted because sometimes there seemed no other explanation for what we heard in the next dark room over. I never knew what was out there, what was making the noise, and it was that feeling of not knowing that always had me scared. I’ll admit that even as an adult, I’ve had those times I just feel the creeps. Sometimes it’s the movies or TV shows that we watch. I’m embarrassed to say that there were a few haunted shows on the Travel channel that had me turning all the lights on!
I’d always wondered, is it just me or am I the only one who admits it? I watched the movie “The Conjuring” and parts of it had me jumping. The house in the move of similar in architecture style and age as the house I grew up in and took me right back to being 8 years old hiding under the blankets because I heard things out in the darkness. It was more than just lack of light in the movie that was so dark. The evil possession of the house was yet another darkness to be afraid of. I had to find out how common this fear is, and what cures it … as in all these
types of darkness; lack of light and otherwise.
I started reading articles and found out that I’m not alone. A lot of people just like me. Just a few weeks back, the March 1st USA Today had an article on it were it said that eleven percent of the population admits to being afraid of the dark. (and I’m pretty sure the rest had just admitted to being liars!).
Dr. Gene Beresin of Harvard Medical said that “Not being able to see as well increases anxiety, uncertainty and tension and this can lead to fear of the dark in any age group.”. So I guess I’m not so unusual. The article also said that "Fear is triggered by a real or perceived threat. The global pandemic has evoked much uncertainty in different aspects of all our lives."1
But all of that is beside the point. We fear what we don’t know. In the dark, there’s a lot we don’t know.
The term darkness is also associated with ignorance. How many times have we all heard the term “are you going to keep me in the dark?”
An article I read reinforced this thought where it said “Ever since pagan days, winter was also time for the reckoning and for the victory of light over darkness and, on the 25 December, the Romans would celebrate the festival of Sol Invictus (unconquered sun). The unconquered sun would be born again vanquishing all evil.
The battle between darkness and light is a battle as old as the stars and the narrative has taken on different threads in different eras. In today’s world, the darkness is that described by Shakespeare’s fool in Twelfth Night when he declaims that “there is no darkness but ignorance,” Ignorance, as opposed to knowledge, is that weapon used to oppress, abuse and befuddle.
But again, the cure for this darkness is also light, or like they say “enlighten me.”
Darkness is also associated with sadness. In art class, when assessing the mood of a painting, you look to the shading. The darker the shading, the darker the mood of the painting. Paintings like The Scream by Edvard Munch is are excellent examples of not only the mood but of mental stability as well. Just looking at the painting I can feel the tortured soul with every brushstroke.
Continuing with the theme of dark, mood disorders are also called the “Dark Side”2 , referring to the unpleasant and unwanted thoughts that lead to depression.
Evil needs to be part of this conversation too. I couldn’t ever list the books and movies with reference to evil being dark. You can’t watch any of the Star Wars franchise without seeing someone being enticed into evil. People on line are a buzz wondering if Baby Yoda is actually going conjuring the Dark Side.
But there is a cure; a cure for all of this. Whether it be ordinary darkness, ignorance, mood, mental health, or just plain evil. It’s LIGHT! Be it metaphoric or photonic, it’s light.
When I was really small and hiding under my covers (because everyone knows that blankets are an effective barrier from monsters in the dark), it was usually an older brother or sister would turn the light back on so I could move around freely …. without fear.
We always associate light with good. This goes all the way back to Genesis and the opening verses of the Bible:
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. {1:2} And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness [was] upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. {1:3} And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. {1:4} And God saw the light, that [it was] good:
The sun is the biggest lightbulb we could ever imagine. It gives us warmth and either directly or indirectly keeps nearly every single organism on earth alive. Think of the joy it brings after a dark and stormy night. Think of how much it effects our moods. A walk in the sunshine illuminates the world and lightens the heart. The light of the sun reaches way beyond what you can see. Its spectrum contains a lot of colors you can’t see but you know they’re around. You feel the warmth of infrared and your skin tans from the ultraviolet.
For curing ignorance we get illuminated with knowledge. We read, go to school and are taught by our esteemed educators. The Renaissance claimed it was the rediscovery of art, culture, and learning whose illumination blotted out the Dark ages.
For dark moods, we always say the opposite is being light hearted (wait, maybe that doesn’t count because it’s a different connotation of light), however light does effect moods. Since the association of light and moods were discovered, there have been a number of products on the market that mimic sunlight to improve moods and help with mood disorder.
Researching association of color and mood is difficult in our hypersensitive society. It seemed everywhere I looked somebody was throwing around accusations of racism. Geez, is in not woke to point out that storm clouds are dark or that you don’t want to drink dark water? But in an article in an academic journal, it said it experiments showed that light and dark were associated with morality and immorality but it’s part of our psyche, and didn’t have anything to do with race. In multiple, repeatable studies light is implicitly connected good, and dark with evil.5
But what about evil? How does light effect that? We need a light bright enough to chase away evil. We need a light brighter than the sun. We need Jesus.
What a bright light he is. He’s the one that fulfilled the prophecies in Isaiah 9:2
2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness
It can even be taken literally. In Luke 9 when Jesus took Peter, John and James to a mountain he transformed in front of them and his garments became white and glistened. Imagine how it would look seeing the light radiate from Jesus, lighting a dark room.
Jesus also brought knowledge and encouraged the quest for knowledge as well. When he was twelve and his parents found him at the temple, it’s said
Luke 2:46-47:
…they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. {2:47} And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.
And how many other times during his preaching were they were amazed at his understanding and knowledge. But it’s popular to claim belief in Christ means turning your back on science. I’m so very tired of pop culture’s depictions of Christians as bumpkins. Christ told us to “ask and it shall be answered”, and I think he meant that broadly. He never told us to not learn and study. After all, it was Christians that began the first hospitals where observation lead to improved medicine.3
How about mental health? Does Jesus bring light to the darkened mind? Well, YES!
I’d had always relied on Jesus to help me through my darkest times emotionally. Having my friend to talk to and knowing that he had a plan got me through the loss of loved ones, family separation and many other personal crises throughout my life.
This emotional support from Jesus isn’t isolated to me. During an interview with NPR, Jane Fruehwirth at the University of North Carolina talked about how much better religious people’s metal health faired. During that interview she said “When we look at the most depressed individuals, what we find is that increasing religiosity by one standard deviation - which is going from not going to church at all to attending church once a week - decreases the probability of being at risk for moderate to severe depression by as much as 20%.”4
Having a pretty good understanding of statics, I realized that’s a very significant number that can’t just be passes off as a coincidence. In article after article that I read it said that the religious fared better with it came to issues of grieving, depression, and a number of other mental maladies. Some attributed it to hope and optimism. Others attributed it to the fact that believers are less likely to partake in risky behaviors with drugs, alcohol, tobacco, or so on. But no matter what, the fact stands that with Jesus people are better off.
My wife has firsthand experience with seeing Jesus work with the mentally ill. In her tenure in psychiatric wards, she’s seen a number of patients do better when they prayed.
Then there is the darkness of true evil. Remember to scripture when Jesus comes ashore and met a man possessed by demons, who said their name was Legion because they were many. Jesus had power over them and they begged him not to order them back into the abyss. Evil is powerless to stand up to Jesus.
Knowing Jesus power brings us safety.
In Psalm 23 is says:
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
John 8:12 summarizes everything:
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”
As I looked for answers, I wondered, should it only Jesus? Shouldn’t we be lights in the world also?
In Philippians 2:14-16
14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.
So, with all those definitions of light that I just attributed to Jesus, we should be that also. If your light shines, you become a beacon to others. Just like lighthouse that guides ships in the night. Our light should guide them through the darkness and into a safe harbor.
Once in that safe harbor our light should protect them from all the evils that are pulling at their mental wellbeing. This isn’t just platitude of “wouldn’t it be nice” and saying it would make a difference. It’s proven. In that same NPR interview with Jane Fruehwirth, she mentioned that the benefits for mental health on being religious went beyond the individual person. She said “researchers examined not just whether kids who went to church had lower depression rates but whether kids who had lots of classmates who were religious were also at lower risk for depression.4”
So we really CAN be a light that radiates out. We really can make a difference in others’ lives. And I realize that this is what Christ wants for all of us!
Matthew 5:14-16
{5:14} Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. {5:15} Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. {5:16} Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Our light needs to shine. It needs to be held high. And then I come to understand we can also be the cure for all this darkness. Our light can be the kind that brings light to ignorance. Through our study and our testimonies, we can spread the knowledge of the Gospel. Our light can be the kind that chases away the darkness of sadness and depression. We can be the warm flame that lights the way for the sad and the lost. Our flame can give warmth to those in the cold. We really can be the cure for all these. And we’re not asked. We are commanded to do these things. We can’t hide our candle. We need to hold it high for all to see.
John 1:5
The darkness has nothing to do with the light or vice versa. They do not mix. What happens when a room is totally dark and you add light? The darkness disappears. What happens when there is a light in the room and you add darkness? The darkness again disappears! Darkness cannot stand before light. Deception cannot stand before the truth! If we have God's words, and we shine them on falsehood, the errors become glaring.
And with that’s I realize that if we are a light that can shine light on the truth. we can brighten the darkened room. we can disprove the falsehoods.
Better, we am a Beacon, and shine with all the word and love of the Lord, bringing light and warmth to those around me, then how can we ever be afraid of the dark again!
1. More Americans than ever are afraid of the dark, experts say. Here's why. Daryl Austin; 1 Mar 23; https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2022/03/01/are-you-afraid-dark-why-pandemic/6782349001/
5. There is no darkness but ignorance; Jacques René Zammit; December 23, 2019; https://theshiftnews.com/2019/12/23/there-is-no-darkness-but-ignorance/
2. Spontaneous Thought and Vulnerability to Mood Disorders: The Dark Side of the Wandering Mind Igor Marchetti,1,* Ernst H.W. Koster,1 Eric Klinger,2 and Lauren B. Alloy3; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5544025/
3. Science Says: Religion Is Good For Your Health; Nicole Fisher, Forbes, https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicolefisher/2019/03/29/science-says-religion-is-good-for-your-health/#3c48aa123a12
4. National Public Radio (NPR) interview with Jane Fruehwirth at the University of North Carolina, heard on Morning Addition November 5, 2019,
5. How did ‘white’ become a metaphor for all things good? July 6, 2020 8.15am EDT; https://theconversation.com/how-did-white-become-a-metaphor-for-all-things-good-140674
