Blinded by the Light

She sat silently in the empty room. She was staring at a photograph; yellow and faded with age. The dim contours of the photo revealed the beaming wet face of a newly baptized teenager. She was holding a Bible being presented to her by a wet preacher, also beaming. She was transported in time. “Katie, give your Mamma a hug, darlin’! We’re so proud of you!” At that moment in her life everything was perfect. All of the pieces fit. The sun was shining very brightly that spring day. So bright you could hardly see when you looked in its direction. She had to squint. It warmed her wet skin, more than that it warmed her heart.

That was a long time ago. Today’s grey skies weren’t holding out much hope. She put the picture back in the album and the album back on the shelf. It was hard to believe the same girl was looking back at her from the mirror. Where did that girl in the picture go? Could she ever find her again?

This is how it goes for some of us. At one time in our lives we believe so strongly. The light of Jesus shines on us and we are so blinded by the light that everything changes. Doubts fade away and life comes together. But as time marches on we don’t adapt well to the change. We get focused on our changing circumstances. We don’t like what we see. Where is God in all this change? Our sunny skies turn to partly cloudy and we wonder. At this point we have a choice, but the choice we often make is to get busy again. Now it’s time for college or career. New interests capture our attention. Faith is still a part of our lives. It no longer stands alone at the center of our universe. We want God’s approval, but it’s not the main thing we’re after. Not anymore. We look to the heavens, but find partly cloudy turning into partly sunny.

In the early stages of our work life we confronted with a different side of life than they told us about in Sunday School. “Just sign off on it. But I didn’t see you do it.”

“Listen, everybody does it this way. There’s no time to bother with the details. The boss just likes to see these little initials all over this sheet at the end of the week. Sometimes we do them all on Friday afternoon. We borrow each other’s pens and sit in different positions so they look different. I usually smear the ink a little on a couple of them. It’s quite a party. Look, I’m exaggerating. Just sign it and let’s go eat! You sign it for me this week and I’ll do it for you the next time you need it.”

Moral compromise is thrust upon us. It’s how “business gets done.” Once again we are faced with a choice. If we go along we gain access to whole new worlds. Some of us choose to go along. We look up to the skies. The sun is nowhere is sight and now it looks like rain is on its way.

And so it can go. In a few short years we can go from beaming in the warm sun of faith, to speeding through a stormy life at the speed of compromise. It all seemed so simple back on the banks of that river, dripping with possibilities. But it wasn’t simple. By our own choices it became much more complicated. Now we are living with the consequences and blaming it on our circumstances. But deep down we know we got here by choice. It doesn’t feel very good any more. The storm damage is now severe. We want a way out. We cry out for life to just be that simple again. But we’re still playing games. We’re not yet serious about change.

It’s now 20 years later. Katie has become Kate. She’s sophisticated fun. She’s established her career. She’s been married and divorced. To her friends at work she is interesting and colorful. When she’s alone she wishes her life was a lot more boring. She’s great at telling the stories so her life sounds amazing. But the trip has been a little too much for her. She finds herself longing for simpler times. Could it ever be that simple again? She longs to find faith. But when she looks at the dark skies above she sees no light. She wonders if the sun will shine again.

Paul speaks into Kate’s reality. NIV 2 Corinthians 4:3 “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” It can happen to any of us. Suddenly a veil is over our minds and hearts. It is a veil crafted by the evil one. Yet, it is a veil we willingly put on. We want to taste all that the world has to offer. We discover it wasn’t worth the trip. But the veil sticks. We can’t remove it ourselves. Paul says, NIV 2 Corinthians 4:5 “For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.” We got ourselves into this mess, but we can’t get ourselves out of it. We focused on ourselves for far too long. The only hope can come if we look beyond ourselves again. When Kate was 15 she managed to not take herself too seriously. Oh, yes she could be a drama queen when life got hard. But a few minutes later she was relaxed again and facing new challenges. She questioned authority back then, but she still had a basic trust in it. She still tried to see what it had to offer her. Along the way a certain arrogance crept in. She rejected all authority but her own. Now she realizes she wasn’t qualified for the job.

In Marks’ Gospel we discover that Peter, James, and John were close to Jesus during his ministry. Jesus had been giving some powerful teaching. NIV Mark 8:36 “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” He talked of seeing the kingdom of God coming in power if one didn’t make these compromises. And then he did something amazing. He took these fishermen up on the mountain. These guys were used to floating on a sea of chaos. As they climbed the slopes the air grew thinner. They were out of their element. But Jesus was leading the way. These men hardened by life and difficult work were breaking through to new ground spiritually. What if they had said, “Look Jesus, we’re fishermen, not goats. Why don’t you just teach us down here at sea level? Let’s keep this thing nice and familiar. Don’t take us out of our comfort zone.” Isn’t that how many of us respond? Sometimes Jesus has to change our scenery a little, before something powerful can happen. Sometimes he has to chip away at the familiar so we can see things the way they really are.

Maybe that’s what was happening for Kate, too. Meanwhile, back on the mountain top, Jesus pulled back the veil and revealed his true glory to Peter, James, and John. What an amazing scene! Jesus was shining his awesome light. He was shining on the hearts of Peter, James, and John. Moses and Elijah appeared for good measure. Peter said, “It’s good to be here. Let’s sell popcorn and give tours and build a roller coaster.” And thus the first Christian theme park was born. No not really, but he wants to capture the moment. It is a powerful moment of revelation. They see Jesus as he really is. Jesus gave them this moment.

As Kate pulled into the parking lot her heart was pounding. How many years has it been? 10? 15? The main church building was showing a few years, but still standing as a beacon of hope. There was a family life center now and some nice new playground equipment. She took a bulletin and found her seat. Just as the service was about to begin, she locked eyes with Pastor Bob. There were lines around those kind eyes. There was white hair where dark curls used to lay. But still there was that unmistakable smile. He nodded knowingly at Kate. It was as if no one else was in the room. As he stepped forward to welcome everyone Kate felt herself breathe deeply. He just happened to be preaching on this text. NIV 2 Corinthians 4:6 “For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” As he told the old, old, story Kate was transported in time. The colors in the photo came flooding back as the colorful light from the stained glass window streamed down onto Kate. Now it was a 35 year old girl standing on that river bank. The warm sun was shining again.

And so it can go for you and me. How long has it been since you lived every day in light of Jesus? This bright journey can begin anew today.