Turn the Light on

I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness;

I will take you by the hand and keep you;

I will give you as a covenant for the people,

a light for the nations,

to open the eyes that are blind,

to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,

from the prison those who sit in darkness.

—Isaiah 42:6-7

I pulled my sunglasses from my beach bag and joined my daughter, Emma, who was sitting on the edge of the baby pool, keeping an eye on her two-year-old, Layla. With temperatures in the nineties, it felt good to sink my feet into the silky liquid. It felt good to be with family, basking in the brightness. I thanked God for my blessings—especially the blessing of Grandparents Day, which meant free admission to the water park for me.

With gladness written all over her face, Layla pranced and twirled before us. She grabbed the hand of a little boy, who wore a green sun hat, and coaxed him to join her in the dance. Emma and I laughed at their escapades, but not nearly as much as the green hatted boy’s parents. Layla made her way to a friendly whale and climbed upon its back. Her smile broadened as she slid down its slippery tail, landing in the water with a splash. Crawling along the bottom of the pool with her hands, as her legs floated behind her, she called out to us, “I’m swimming!” 

Finally, we could resist the excitement no longer and lowered our bodies into pool. At about the same time as we slipped into the water, the sun slipped behind a cloud, turning the brightness noticeably dim. Layla looked around, furrowing her brow. “Turn the light on,” she said.

Emma and I laughed again at her cuteness, and then explained to her the nature of what happened.

I wonder how often we, as Christians, walk into situations, draped in darkness, and cry out, “Turn the light on!” Or have we become so accustomed to the ways of the world that we don’t notice?

We are called to be “a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness” (Isaiah 42:6-7).

Are we answering the call? Shining the light? Or has some of the world rubbed off on us, turning our light dim?

Just as Layla’s gladness was irresistibly contagious, so should our countenance draw others to Christ.

Proverbs 15:13 says, “A glad heart lights up the face.”

What’s in your heart today? Is it full of gladness for what the Lord has done?

Let us recall God’s great sacrifice of His one and only Son (John 3:16), Who gave His life for our sins, setting us free, so we can rejoice and serve others.

“You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).

I don’t know about you, but remembering where I was and what He called me out of is enough to make me want to take someone by the hand and dance and twirl in the Light like Layla, to splish and splash in the ever-refreshing Living Water, so others may see my joy and join in, basking in the blessing of eternal life, free admission to His kingdom.

I don’t ever want to go back to where I was, lost under the cover of darkness, and neither do I want to leave others there. May my light never slip behind the cloud, but burn so brightly that others will have to wear a green sun hat and sunglasses around me!

“Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD. They rejoice in your name all day long; they exult in your righteousness” (Psalm 89:15-16). 

Dear Lord, may I never forget Your goodness. May I walk in the light of Your presence always. And whenever darkness surrounds, may I furrow my brow and remember to “turn the light on.” Amen.