"Oh shoot, I forgot to put the chickens to bed!" Our chicken coop is behind our garage, down a slight slope in an unlighted area. One of us usually goes out to close the coop door just before dark, to keep critters from invading and having a chicken dinner! But some days we get busy watching the news, or puttering around the kitchen and look up to notice it is pitch black outside. Since my husband is recovering from surgery right now the chicken duty is mine. The path to the coop is well worn and I could probably walk it in my sleep but it is also very dark. Even when the porch light from the house is on, the rays don't extend down past the garage and around the corner, through the trees to the coop. Usually our flashlights are dead and the flashlight on my phone just lights a path a few feet ahead of my steps. I'm always watching for a skunk, a raccoon or an armadillo to scurry in front of me and cause me to have just a little misstep. Once I get beyond the edge of the garage and through the little stand of oak trees I see the soft glow of light from the coop. We have a heat light hanging in the coop during the winter and it provides just enough light that I can see around the structure, walk up the ramp, close the door and head back to the house. I then turn around to walk back to the house, and I tend to look at the porch light but still have to remember to look down now and then on the uneven path. There is something very comforting in that porch light and walking toward it after being in the dark of the coop area.
Things look different in the dark. This last fall we took our annual "beat the heat" cabin vacation to North Carolina. I research and find vacation rental by owner locations to just get away for a few days when the oppressive heat is still hanging around in Texas. This year we arrived late in the afternoon and once we got settled in our rent car we started off driving to the cabin. The owner had told me that we should not rely on a GPS, that in the mountains we would get lost, we were to follow her directions exactly and we would find the cabin with no problem. What she didn't count on was that it would be dark when we arrived. We stopped at a grocery store in the small town to get a few supplies for that night and early morning, then we began that last stretch of 5 miles or so to the cabin. Even though it was in a somewhat populated area the landmarks she told us to watch for were not visible in the dark. "When you see a stone church building on your left you will know you are on the right road", "go three tenths of a mile then turn left just after the bridge". The problem with that one, we were driving and we hadn't come to a bridge! I was just about to turn around and try following the directions again when a car came from the other direction and in the headlights we could see a small bridge crossing. If I had turned around we would have just missed it. We knew we were on the right path, but there was one more landmark to spot -"watch for the 30 MPH curve sign and your turn will be immediately on the left". We drove, watching the mileage tick and came to a curve - but no 30 MPH sign! We just kept watching and sure enough, the dirt drive on the left had a sign to our cabin. We didn't follow our GPS, but the written directions (with my navigator trying to read them in the dark with his phone light) were also somewhat lacking for driving in the dark.
The next morning when we drove to town we saw that the road was beautiful and also learned that in the daylight the landmarks the owner mentioned would have been easily spotted and made me confident that I was going the right direction. In the dark I was questioning, wondering if I was following the right road and doubting. Just like my walk to the chicken coop - I know the path, but in the dark I imagine all kinds of things that can hurt or scare me.
Mary and Joseph navigated the 'dark' of the unknown as they traveled to Bethlehem. The shepherds saw the light in the dark when the angel appeared to them. Fear, the unknown and darkness were being illuminated. They all were following the Light of God. As darkness envelopes you, what light do you look for? What guides you when you are in fear, anxiety, or facing a dark path but you have to travel it? Though sometimes it isn't my first choice (I try to push through things on my own) I ultimately go to my Bible. I read of the people that faced great obstacles, fear and anxiety and am encouraged in their reliance on God and how it got them through. It amazes me how the ancient words of Scripture still speak and empower today. They truly are the light to my path.
Prayer focus: Take a moment today to think about an area of darkness that you are battling right now. Illness? Relationships? Money concerns? Job uncertainty? The unknown can freeze us in our tracks. Pray today that comfort will come from God, that you will allow His light to guide you in the decisions you make and the path you decide to take. Pray that someone will cross your path to encourage you. Thank God for Mary and Joseph and their decision to walk that path full of uncertainty, that allows us to have a living relationship with their son ~ God's Son.
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