Walking in the Light, Walking with Jesus

On a recent road trip, we stopped by one of my mom’s best friend’s house for the night. Doreen was a woman at our church who had adopted my mom when she was a single parent. I didn’t realize she wasn’t my aunt until I was 9 or 10.

During our visit, I poured out to Doreen my fears and struggles as a mother during our visit. I told her that I pray for my kids and I read so many parenting books, yet I still had so much fear and insecurity.

She paused and thought awhile. With adult children, nearly adult grandchildren, she had seen so many methods and fads, and she had spent hours if not years on her knees in prayer, she told me “Pray that they will be able to tell the difference between the truth and a lie. This is so foundational.”

Years later, I still ponder her advice, not only for my kids, but also for myself. 

“If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” {1 John 1:6-9}

I often have different ideas of what it means to walk in the light. I think it means to reflect Jesus’ love like a mirror, to be joyful and a delight like a little sunbeam.

But this passage confused me. It talked about walking in the light, in the context of sin, grace, and practicing truth, and not lying.

Like so many passages I have to view it through the lens of the Garden of Eden, when we as humans first hid from God. When we ran into the bushes, off the path, into the darkness, aware of our shame.

And then God called us back to the light. He called us back to His presence by saying, “Where are you?” He made us face what we had done. Then He covered us, and said He had a plan.

Walking in the light is walking exposed. It’s walking in the truth of my failings, and equally, the truth of the cross.

for more… join me over here at (in)courage today  I’m beyond thrilled to be a guest writer over there this morning.