My eyes are wide open, but I can’t see a thing. Darkness. It’s…well…dark. No matter how much I strain the amazing, God-given eyes of mine, if there is no light, I won’t see a thing. In the darkness I will continue to sit. And who is likely to join me in this darkness? Fear. But that’s no surprise. There are children all around the world (and some adults including myself) who cling to their blankets, parents, or other comfort items in fear of the darkness. But it’s not really the darkness we fear, is it? It’s what we cannot see in the midst of that darkness, the things lurking in the dark. Fear of the unknown.

But there is another kind of darkness I stand in the midst of. It’s not a darkness in which I cannot see anything, but rather a darkness that floats in the air around me, attempting to blind not my eyes but my soul. This darkness is strengthened by the sin of the world. This darkness is the world. And without a doubt, this darkness is far more frightening than the darkness that inhibits my sight. And what are the things that lurk here?

Wars. Violence from every direction. Distrust and racism. Selfishness and pride. Greed, lust and drunkenness. It’s everywhere. It’s common. It’s accepted. And it’s the problem. It seeps in through the cracks in the walls and remains unnoticed in the midst of the ever present darkness. It’s not that we have turned a blind eye but rather we have lost our sensitivity to it. It sits at our side and we don’t question it. Slowly, it consumes us, and we become just another piece of the darkness.

Moreover, this darkness is busy at work. It moves tirelessly, attempting to intimidate those who have been called to be the light. It seeks conformity and sends out threats and attacks until this conformity is achieved. But as I have begun to be so acutely aware of this, a certain call for courage is arising within me.

There are two sides at war: Light and Darkness. Soldiers are suited up and ready on both sides. The side of Darkness has a strong foothold and frightening weapons. And sometimes the soldiers of the Light are fearful and tempted to give in. It is their greatest fight after all. But courage stirs within me and I must to send out a battle cry to my fellow soldiers:

Remember who we are and who we fight for. “The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.” (Romans 13:12). This is not a time to be fearful or indifferent. This is not a time to be afraid of the dark. We have a great fight to fight, a war to win. Rise and stand tall against the sin of this world and remember that you are in this world but not of it.

However, this war that we fight is not one of violence. Our goal is not to take down the soldiers in the darkness but to lift them up. We must teach them the joy of salvation and that “the world and its desires pass away, but the man that does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:17). For we know and hope to teach all who do not know that though this is a war we are fighting, the end is clear. There is no fearing the unknown in this darkness. We already know how this story ends. The Light will win, undoubtedly. What we fight for is for those in this world of darkness to come and join us at the table before it’s too late.

We do not fight for a momentary win; we fight for an eternal friend.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. – Matthew 5:14-16

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Further reading: 1 John 1:3-10, Revelation 3:17-22, Romans 12:9-21