The Dark

As newlyweds, my husband and I were also new landowners. A few months before we exchanged our wedding vows, we purchased five acres of land. Our marriage along with owning land, were both an exciting and new venture for us. 

Walking our property one afternoon as husband and wife, my new spouse shared his vision of the home he had in mind to build for us. It would face east, sit on the highest point of our property, and though it would be small to begin with, we could always add on. 

I had no doubts in my husband’s ability to build our house. I believed his words because I knew he was a skilled carpenter. 

Working within our shoestring budget, we soon had a home, though not quite finished, to move into. 

It was a bare bones structure. It sat on a foundation, with a roof and walls, but no siding. We had a front door, but not a back door, windows, but no interior trim, insulation, but no sheet rock. We had a well, but no indoor plumbing or electricity.

For someone who’d always lived with the conveniences of running water, electricity and indoor plumbing, living in our newly built house took some adjustment. 

At night time, pitch black darkness blanketed us. There were no street lights, nor any lights shining from a neighbors window. We had no neighbors who lived close by. The dim light from kerosene lamps lit our house, and when necessary, we used a flashlight to find our way to the outhouse.  

See Where We Are Going

Thinking back on those days of darkness and lighting our house with kerosene lamps, I am reminded of words from Psalm 119 verse 105; “By your words I can see where I am going.” 

Another translation puts it this way, “Your words are a flashlight to light the path ahead of me, and keep me from stumbling.” One more version says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

God’s word is much more accessible to us today than ever before. It can be conveniently read whenever we open the Bible on our laps or on our laptops.

 Unlike those who lived in the ancient days, the Scriptures were accessible only to religious leaders, scribes and those in authority. Common folk, like you and me, had to rely on those in the synagogue or other public gatherings to hear the scriptures read to us. 

Still, even in those ancient days, when the common and ordinary folk had to rely on others in order to hear what God had to say by way of the Scripture, the Scriptures were still used as a moral compass to live by. Those who not only heard the Scriptures, but also believed them to be true, discovered a way to live morally in an immoral world. 

Why Bother

Why bother walking with a light? Those kerosene lamps and a flashlight were a necessity when my husband and I lived in the dark. Without them, we’d had no choice but grope our way around as best we could.  Speaking from personal experience, none of us have to grope around in the dark when we can walk with the light found in God’s word.