Translucence

“For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness”—He has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God’s glory 
in the face of Jesus Christ.”—II Corinthians 4:6

Incredibly beautiful sights have graced my eyes during my vacation time here in New England. Incredibly diverse, brilliant and vivid colors splash their beauty across the horizon. Unlike most things we admire, they look better as you draw closer. They bear close scrutiny because they have nothing to hide. They live their life in the light and don’t shrink back when the light comes. They are open to the light. And it shows.

I'm not like that. I like the blinds pulled tightly and the blackout curtain drawn when I’m in the hotel room. When I awaken, I gradually, very gradually, adjust to the light. I take my cue from the way dawn comes on slowly each morning. The sun doesn’t just pop up each morning. As the Great Book says, “like the morning sun; shining ever brighter till the full light of day.” Proverbs 4:18

I don’t think I’m too unusual (at least that way :-); but what’s normal in natural life is not necessarily the norm for life in the Spirit.

“If we walk in the light as He is in the light. . .” I John 1:7 is the desire and call of God for humanity. He created us with an image that is made for the light; to be in the light and to shine with His light.

But Adam and Eve taught us all too well to shrink from the Light of God. Like our ancestors we fear being fully seen, deeply known and understood. We sense something’s amiss deep within and we’d rather hide than face the light. Sadly we choose to conceal our hearts rather than reveal our needs. We are afraid of the exposure light brings.

We mistakenly think exposure is God’s end game; it is not.

Exposure is a step in His process to prepare our lives for His illumination; that’s God’s endgame. God’s desire is to shine on us, in us and through us. It’s called being Translucent. When something is Translucent, light can pass through it but the objects on the other side can't be seen in clear detail. That’s why Jesus said, “Let your light shine”. . . His love is shining in us and through us but the world sees us. It’s up to us to share the source of the light. We are not the light; we are translucent.