This is a little embarrassing to admit in my mid-40s, but I’m scared of the dark. I remember as a little girl, I’d sprint down the hallway to my bedroom if the house was dark . . . I didn’t know what might be lurking there, but surely if I was quick, it wouldn’t get me! Even now, if I’m home alone at night, I’ll hear all kind of noises that aren’t usually there, and I sometimes even turn on a light just to make sure there aren’t any monsters hiding in the dark. 

For the past few weeks, we’ve been walking through the chorus of the hymn “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”: “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.” When we’re afraid, turning on the light shows us reality. In a similar way, turning to the Light of the world, Jesus Christ, shows us the reality of His glory and grace in a dark and frightening world. 

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” (John 8:12) 

As those who follow Jesus, we don’t walk in darkness. When Jesus shines the light of His glory and grace on the darkness of this world, we look beyond the shadows of this fallen world and see the reality of God’s salvation, victory, and deliverance. 

We may feel like a failure, but we can look at Jesus’s cross and see the Savior who died for the forgiveness of our sins. We may feel like our situation is hopeless, but we can look at Jesus’s empty tomb and know He has given us hope by conquering every enemy. We may grieve now in a world that feels filled with darkness, but we can look at the ascended Jesus and know He’s gone to prepare a place for us in our heavenly, eternal home. 

Let the light of Jesus’s glory and grace shine on your circumstances today and see that this is your reality: Forgiveness. Hope. Peace. Eternity in Heaven. 

No matter what you face this week, walk in the light of His glory and grace. 

When my daughter was younger, she was the flower girl at the wedding of one of her babysitters. She was nervous and excited and taking it all very seriously, but then she got to the point in the aisle where she could see her daddy sitting in the crowd of wedding guests. It was like the rest of the scene vanished when she saw his face. Her eyes widened and her hand shot up in the air to wave ecstatically at the one who mattered most. 

This month we’ve been making our way through the chorus of the hymn “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.” The chorus says, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim . . .” 

If I’m honest, the things of earth are usually in vibrant color right before my eyes, demanding my attention. I need the Lord to give me eyes that see Him and cause the cares of this world to fade away as I focus on the One who matters most. I need eyes that see beyond today into eternity. 

“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18) 

Sometimes I wish I could argue with the apostle Paul about his word choice in these verses. My troubles don’t feel light or momentary. The past 18 months, for example, have felt like a really heavy year that just won’t end. But I think Paul’s wording here is intentional – one day when we experience the eternal glory of heaven, we will look back on the covid pandemic and see it as a tiny speck of suffering we endured on our way to heaven. 

We don’t have to wait until heaven to have this perspective. When we focus on the unseen—our heavenly Father and the promises He has made—we know that our current struggles are not forever. We can persevere knowing that Jesus has secured our glorious forever home. 

No matter what you face this week, look at Jesus and watch your earthly troubles grow strangely dim. 

For the first two posts in this series, click here and here.