Walking in Darkness
The people walking in darkness
see a bright light;
light shines
on those who live in a land of deep darkness.
Isaiah 9:2
Darkness has some strange effects on the mind and body. Studies have shown that humans who live in darkness for prolonged periods behave differently. There is even an entire field of biology called chronobiology devoted to studying the effects of light and darkness on humans, or the effects of solar and lunar activity on living creatures.
You might have heard of the circadian rhythm, the internal wake-sleep cycle in humans. Or Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), the effect of darkness during late fall and winter on one’s mental state. Some people refer to it as the “winter blues.” Countries far north of the equator with nearly all-day darkness in winter report higher percentages of insomnia, depression, or reduced mental cognition. One five-year study of nurses in Anchorage, Alaska showed that “medication errors were 95% more likely in mid-winter than in the fall.”
And then there’s “sick building syndrome,” a term for dark buildings where employees or residents have a higher frequency of illness.
We don’t need science to tell us that we can get depressed or sick in prolonged physical darkness. But what about spiritual darkness?
Christmas is punctuated by a great light in the darkness. The little star of Bethlehem was not little at all. Those who studied the stars were so compelled by its brightness that they followed it across deserts and mountains, through valleys, and over tribal boundaries to bow before a Greater Light, the Messiah Jesus Christ.
Walking in darkness is possible. Prolonged darkness may make us want to do the opposite, but Isaiah invites us to rise and walk. The Light shines on those who rise in the darkness to traverse deserts of faith, mountains of difficulty, valleys of death, and the walls that divide us from our brothers and sisters. The people who walk in darkness will see a bright light, though the darkness be deep.
This is a Christmas promise.
Lord, I rise today and walk. I will walk in the darkness and follow Your light to the manger, and there I will bow before the King of kings. Amen.
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