First Baptist Church of Herndon

Glow in the dark

Linda Soller | Oct 19, 2015

I started walking to improve my health and hopefully lose some weight. So back in August I began walking in the morning before I went to work. The plan is going well and I really enjoy my morning excursions. I began to recognize the neighbors who would walk or jog at the same time as me. Recently I began to be concerned about how dark it seemed to be when I left my house. My dark pants and light grey sweatshirt didn’t seem to be up to the task of helping me be visible to passing traffic. When I passed a neighbor dressed similarly I realized just how much we were both blending in to the dim morning light and the road surface.  I decided being hit by a car because the driver didn’t see me was not conducive to improving my health. So off to the big sporting goods store I went to purchase some items to increase my visibility and prevent me from having an excuse not to walk in the dim morning light. Last Tuesday there was a chance of rain and I was walking in my “in your face reddish pinkish” jacket. Wednesday there was no chance of rain so I dawned my chartreuse hoodie. With a few simple changes I literally glowed in the dark. I felt safer.

I think of Jesus as glowing in the dark. His empathy, kindness, love, wisdom, and quiet nature made him visible to all. The forgotten common folks could see him clearly for what he was, they could see and hear his message. The wealthy and powerful, and even those who were against him could see him coming by the way people responded to him. In a dark and turbulent world, with the ever present “haves” and “have-nots” he glowed. Even his birth was heralded with a star that glowed in the dark night sky. The majority of his actions and his words were simple, straight forward, and relatable. His stories were not elaborate, but dealt with basic social standards and customs. People listening could understand. In a world where most struggled he entered and shed light on their future, on eternity.

On Thursday I was out and about in my chartreuse hoodie and came upon my grey sweatshirt wearing neighbor, but she looked different. She was wearing a bright yellow jacket. As we passed and gave our standard greeting I added, “Now we both can be seen.” She smiled and said, “Oh yes, we sure can!” Our glow in the dark adjustments were making a huge difference to how we felt, and how others saw us.

Jesus brought light to the world, and he told us to live for others, to bring light to the dark spaces inhabited by so many. It’s easy to be seen in the light, but when was the last time you glowed in the dark?

Have a great week! :o)  Linda