I am the light of the world. So if you follow me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness, for the living light will flood your path.

~John 8:12 TLB

One item on my bucket list is to see the Northern Lights, aka, Aurora Borealis.

The stunning beauty of this miraculous phenomenon captivates me. This display of colorful lights mainly occurs in the North and South Poles, but the irony of their location puts me in awe. I often wonder why God placed such a wonderous site in the coldest and darkest of areas. Then it occurred to me that light shines brightest amid true darkness.

Many years ago, I went on a weekend trip with a group of friends and stayed at a resort in the middle of nowhere. At night, the number of stars and constellations that lit the sky amazed us all—a site impossible to see in the city. Around the campfire, making s’mores, our eyes were drawn towards heaven. 

Stars become brighter and more abundant the farther you travel outside of the city because the lighting from buildings, streets, and other objects dulls our ability to marvel at the sky. The closer a person is to the earth’s natural environment, and not saturated by the world, the more we can appreciate God’s creation of the universe. 

Among them the god of this world [Satan] has blinded the minds of the unbelieving to prevent them from seeing the illuminating light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

~2 Corinthians 4:4 AMP

The world not only limits our physical sight, but also our spiritual sight. To recognize the presence of God, we must leave the distractions of the world behind. I am guilty of loving all the conveniences of life, but our craving for television, electronics, and so forth is Satan’s tool to keep us from God’s presence.

All too often, I’m preoccupied with what’s on my laptop, iPad, or phone when I should be listening to what God wants me to do with my time. Don’t get me wrong, these are not terrible things, and many are needed for work and communication, but if we compared the number of hours and minutes spent on these items to the time we spend with God, it might open our eyes. 

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

~John 1:5 ESV

Let the Light, the Glory of God, shine brighter in your life. It doesn’t matter how much darkness the enemy tries to surround us with because God’s light will always break through if we accept the Holy Spirit’s help in keeping the world’s distractions at bay. 

What distractions keep you from spending time with God?

Father God, release me from any strongholds that keep me from You. I want to see the beauty of Your creation in all its glory and not be satisfied with the watered-down version. Give me the strength to release the areas of bondage that blur my sight so I may be free to focus on You. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Genre: Non-fiction

Copyright 2022: Bitter Beauty: Irene Wintermyer: All Rights Reserved

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