“Join the dark side.” That was the bumper sticker I saw this
morning. Yikes. Why would anyone consciously want to join with darkness? Many
have made an unknowing contract with the dark of night, for example, when they
allow themselves to be addicted to drugs. But, a well-thought-out choice?
I can think of three reasons: 1. They’ve never seen the light. 2. Darkness promises power. 3. They want to be with someone who lives in darkness. “God
is light and in him there is no darkness at all,” John says. (1John 1:5, NIV) With no experience of God’s multi-splendored light, the light that illumines the colors of life, the dark side may feel like
the realistic side. Then, the dark side promises the ability to achieve your own
purposes. To join with God is to put aside our own desires and to work with him
to bring the rule and reign of King Jesus. And, it’s easy to slide into
darkness if people depend on others who have already chosen the dark side.
But those who join with darkness do not foresee the
consequences. They see only the glittery promises of personal power or the
comfort of connection. The dark one hides in the shadows, around the corner,
behind the shed.
Even for those of us who walk in the light, the darkness sometimes
entices. For most of us, drugs are easy to recognize as lightless. Pride, prejudice,
and greed are not so easy to see, crouching in the shadows. Let’s keep asking
King Jesus to shine his light into our dark passages. We need his power to see
the consequences of darkness. By his grace, we will choose the light of day,
every day.
Holy Spirit, come illumine the hidden corners of our hearts.
Well said.