Be Light

Mission: Travel light. Be light. Spread light. 

More and more of me is developing a growing eagerness to travel, and to travel light. I want to just go on an adventure and spread light to dark places.

Maybe by train...

Or by boat....

Or by tracks;)

I was thinking about some of the things my dad has taught me over the years.  One of them is how to travel light.

Although my dad has spent a lot of his life packing heavy things, he has always been a very light packer.  

I grew up in a skiing family, and going to the mountain every weekend required packing a lot of heavy bulky gear into our suburban, while still making sure there was enough room for the cat's litter box and food to be perfectly set up in the back.  My siblings and I however, wanted to pack every blanket and pillow we owned so we could build forts in the car while we were driving.  We were not deemed "light packers" in comparison to my dad's mailbox sized bag with a toothbrush, and a couple pairs of shorts.

As we got older we learned how to be light packers, since we were managing our own gear and traveling all over the northwest for ski races.  Although I improved my packing skills, and no longer packed every stuffed animal I owned, I still would not call myself a "light packer."  I'm more of an extremest when it comes to packing.  I either pack everything I own, or nothing at all.  However I prefer the second.  I get really annoyed when I have way more than I end up needing.

"For the sake of those you love, travel light.  For the sake of the God you serve, travel light. For the sake of your OWN joy, travel light."

For others, for God, for ourselves.

I want to travel light.

A few summers back when Jeremy and I were just friends, I went with him and few of his buds up to the Ape Caves in Washington, Oregon.  After a while of wandering through the long, dark, rocky obstacle course, we decided to turn off our lanterns and relish in the utter darkness. With my eyes wide open, I might as well have been starring at the back of my eyelids. Pure darkness... But the second we struck a match, the entire cave was glowing.  

One simple match was all it took to cast out the darkness that had us captivated moments before.

Psalm 36: "For with you is the fountain of life; in your LIGHT we see LIGHT."

Light always wins. And Jesus is the light of the world. With Jesus we will never have to walk in darkness.

Scripture says, "my yoke is easy and my burden is LIGHT." 

Carrying a heavy load into the darkness would be like carrying a full suitcase into the Ape caves.  Miserable. 

< Light loads and bright lights.

Darkness ALWAYS surrenders to light, 

and light will ALWAYS overcomes darkness.

Light represents truth. Darkness represents deception. 

I hope to live by the light, and reflect the light. The light of Christ in me.  Christ overcame the darkness because He is the light of life.  

As the fire in my soul burns for You God, I trust that You will be the lantern for my feet that never burns out.  With You I will know that I will never walk in darkness.  Nothing can extinguish my guiding Lord of light. 

In the same way light casts out darkness. The source of true light is also the source of true love. And love casts out fear.

I've heard it said that fear is...

 F false

       E evidence

         A appearing

 R real

So often dark places, dark times, and dark things cause us fear.  But with the light of Christ we never have to be afraid of the dark. 

Matthew 6:22 "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will BE FULL of LIGHT."  

I only hope that I might be a beacon of light. But more than that, I hope to make the dark places glow because of the light of Christ in me. 

May we hold each other accountable to be what God calls us to be.  To be lanterns of light, and know that Christ is our everlasting flame, and fuel.