One morning, as I was tackling some household chores before going to work, I suddenly started hearing noises coming from my ceiling. Later, entering the room, I noticed the presence of a bird that had gotten in through the window. After trying more than once to get it out with a stick-like instrument, I realized, seeing it panting and breathing heavily with its beak open, that it was actually struggling to find the exit. I then understood that its tendency to get closer to the lightbulb, hitting against the ceiling in the process, stemmed from the fact that light was its guiding element. So I turned off the light in the two interconnected rooms, and from then on, the next attempt was the right one; it left the room, found its way to the sunlight, and regained its freedom.
This anecdote then brought back to my mind the interest of Light in our life. No doubt this animal had come too close to my window to be attracted by the brightness of the light bursting from my bulb, after all it was only early morning, a time of day when the sun does not yet shine brighter; and in doing so, entering a rather cramped room for it which was used to having all of nature to itself, it found itself trapped. And soon its misfortune seemed to reach its peak when I appeared. How to escape from my stick, since the only strong light it had in front of it, was only a lure for it, it was not the light of freedom, but of captivity since preventing it from "seeing" the true light, even if apparently less bright. Then the idea came to me to turn off the light; for a second, it was perhaps absolute fear for it, no light at all... until it finally saw the light, the real one that led it to freedom.
As they are numerous, the situations in our life, where we have people or apparent “opportunities” which seem to us to be ready-made “lights”, elements which will give us the direction of our life, which will lead us straight to the happiness… And after a certain time, we find ourselves caught in the trap of our lack of discernment, no longer knowing how to get out of it. Sometimes, by struggling, we make our situation worse. And in extreme cases, God often “turns off” these pseudo-lights, distances us from these people, from these situations, so that we can realize His Light, the True One, Christ Jesus.
Let us take the time together to read these few verses about the Testimony that God bears of His Light for us Men, his precious creatures:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Once converted to Christ, let us keep our eyes fixed on Him, the Light of God for our life. Whether it is about making choices about our spiritual environment (environment of spiritual edification, choice of teachers to “follow”) or about so-called secular life (choice of a spouse), a job, a country / a city / a residential area, etc.), let make Christ alone our Leader! If we hold fast to this desire in our hearts, then His Holy Spirit will lead us in all circumstances. Let us simply pray and implore the Lord for his continued discernment, not only so that His choices be ours, but also so that we may keep our eyes fixed on Him, in our daily experience of said choices.
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