I used to be afraid of the dark, like deathly afraid.
I think I was nearly a freshman (in college, don’t judge me) when I stopped sleeping with a night light.

And haunted houses?!? I’d rather have a root canal in every tooth in my mouth without anesthesia than walk through one of those. Man alive–how do people find those “fun”?!?

Heart palpitations.
Pupils dilated.
Sweaty palms.
Shaky voice.
Those are fight or flight symptoms, not my definition of fun, sunshine.

But here is what I learned about darkness over the years.

We all have dark places, life events and experiences that we prefer to keep covered up and hidden from the world. I mean, we even have an expression to describe this–“She has many skeletons in her closet.”  Lord only knows, I have a walk-in closet full of ’em, sunshine.

Unknown things lurking in darkness are scary, but once you turn on the light and realize it’s just a man wearing a mask and that the chainsaw has no chain, you see the situation for what it really is and your fear dissolves. You discover the truth; this is only apparent once darkness is shattered by light.

That is how our lives work.

The guilt of the words spoken out of anger, the fear of being rejected, the shame of the affair–once these are confessed and exposed–darkness no longer has power over them.

The Light illuminates your darkest, deepest hidden places and you discover The Truth.  Grace covers it all, piercing darkness to reveal the situation for what it really is–a cross carrying unconditional love and everlasting mercy.

At times, the enemy still tries to scare me with the skeletons that reside in my closet. I begin to question, doubt, wonder, and fear, yet I am reminded that I have the power to turn on The Light; it is then that I am strong and able to chase away the shadows that try to frighten me.

Shame, guilt, fear.
They are no more.

I ask you, dear one–are there any skeletons hiding in your closet that need to be exposed to The Light? I am happy to pray with you and empower you to overcome darkness once and for all.

“But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them,
for the light makes everything visible.
This is why it is said, ‘Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead,
and Christ will give you light.’”
Eph 5:13-14 NLT

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