I sat in my office this morning violating my own stated intent to get some rest today (it seems when you are bivocational you can never get any time off), when the lights went off and then back on again. I walked over to my entrance hall to speak to the electrician who had been dispatched bright and early to work on the circuit and he matter of factly informed me that indeed i was going to be without power for the next two odd hours while he worked on the system, otherwise he would be electrocuted; i sensibly decided that in view of the fact that it was only eight in the morning, it was dark outside and cold to boot, the only option available to me was to go back to bed, which i promptly did.
The lights came back on when he was done and soaked the previously darkened apartment in brightness, leaving me marvelling at the wonder of illumination. Sitting in a pitch black room and having the light suddenly turned on is a stunning experience. Life opens up to you, a fresh new world and reality become yours, clarity dispels obsucrity, things take form and shape, focus is restored and a fresh sense of ease, certainty and well being envelopes you.
It is to me somewhat akin to my experience of becoming a Christ follower. I will always remember that vivid consciousness of stepping into another world, a parallel dimension inhabiting the same space as the physical world that i live in and yet one to which i was until then oblivious. The reality of God and the spiritual world He inhabits was almost palpable and totally blew apart my previous paradigm of reality. I remember thinking this is real, this whole world, this whole dimension existed and i was not aware of it! It was stunning to say the least. A light was suddenly turned on and a fresh new world opened to me. I was glad to have eschewed my previous social and philosophical bias to embrace this bright new world. Nearly twenty years on, I am still glad. That light is still on.
And it is a joy to see people at that point of illumination in their lives when the truth of Christ first dawns on them and they receive Him, before they become blasé, boring church goers. Only yesterday i had occasion to savour the passion of a young believer as they expressed their delight at encountering God, at discovering that this was so real, that God was real, that Jesus really was who He said He was. Their enthusiasm was contagious, the light had come on; and they wanted to tell everyone around them and just marvelled at what they were seeing and experiencing now that they did not see a month ago. The gospel of John speaks of Jesus as the light shining in the darkness, totally stunning. Light, marvellous light.
I have the electrician to thank for stirring up my joy this morning.