Light Overcomes the Darkness

Today I welcome another of my fellow authors, Marji Laine:

 

In my chapter of A Ruby Christmas, Ruby visits Paris, “The City of Light.” You know light isn't seen very well unless it's surrounded by darkness. In fact, my favorite satellite pictures are the ones taken at night that show the countries lit up like a Christmas ornament. I think of them as a spiritual interpretation. Imagine each little pinpoint of light as a heart for God holding the flame of His Spirit. What would your “neighborhood” look like? Would your light shine bright and inspire others to light up? Would it attract those already glowing or does it barely flicker in the darkness surrounding it?

Spiritual Darkness can take many forms:

Self-Deception  This takes the form of the lie that everyone’s going to heaven because God loves us. Or  “I’m a Christian because I go down to the church on Sunday.” This is a particularly dangerous darkness because those who suffer from it have heard the Word of God. They just haven’t listened to what He says.

Apathy  This is another dangerous version of darkness. People who suffer from apathy might be willing to believe in God, but they don’t want to put any effort into living their lives for Him. Their likely response is, “Let me think about this for a little while.” (That’s a seed waiting to be smuggled off by some conniving bird!)

Hostility  This can be painful to the believer, but a person passionate about his opposition to God can become an amazing proclaimer of truth after realizing Christ’s love.

Ignorance  We suffer from more of this particular darkness in America than we realize. The people with this blindness have no idea of their malady and just wait for someone to enlighten them.

Religiosity  This darkness bears such bondage. Those chained in the shackles of this type of lifestyle are begging for the freedom that Christ offers, and they don’t even realize it.

What type of darkness do you see most often? What type did you or do you most suffer from? What can you do to dissolve it?

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Marji is a homeschooling mom of 4 with the oldest working in the mission field in Africa. She spends her days transporting to and from volleyball, teaching writing classes at a local coop, and directing the children’s music program at her church. With decades of leading worship, directing and performing in theatre productions, and script-writing, Marji took the plunge to creating scintillating Christian romance and romantic suspense novels with a side of Texas sassy. She invites readers to unravel their inspiration, seeking a deeper knowledge of the Lord’s Great Mystery that invites us all.

You can read her chapter here.