Darkness and Light

Over the past 6 months, the lightbulbs on this hallway fixture have slowly started giving out. I didn’t bother changing them because who wants to go to the effort of changing just one of 10 bulbs that are hanging from a 30’ ceiling, when there’s a good chance the rest will give out soon as well? After all, it’s crazy high, and I’m crazy short!

As it got darker and darker, I began liking this space less and less, and even thought about painting the hallway to make it brighter. “If only I had something completely different,” I would think, “then I’d be happier in this space.”

But today, I had a free moment, and decided to tackle the bulbs. The lightbulbs I had on hand were Daylight colored, which I don’t typically use, but not wanting to run to the store, I decided to try them here.

What I had forgotten was, that often, Daylight colored bulbs, can change the hues of beige and gray paint. And when I put these bulbs in, suddenly, the yellow walls disappeared, and I was left with a natural, bright space! Furthermore, the walls now appear to be the very paint color I was thinking of painting!

I think there’s an analogy here: This week I had an experience that burned out my lightbulbs a little. I could only see my side of things, and was angry. As the darkness got worse with every doubt, fear and negativity, I knew I needed help, and began praying for inspiration. Slowly, the Lord gave bits and pieces to help me. The “Partly Cloudy” Disney Pixar short (of all things), and the new Book of Mormon videos were just a few things that started my change of heart, but it wasn’t until I replaced these lightbulbs, that I realized the personal message that the Lord was trying to send me!

I think the Lord is always sending us inspiration. and when it clicks, it’s like changing the lightbulbs. We begin to see everything differently, and it starts to make sense! The color I’d been dreaming about for this room, was there all along, I just needed to change the lightbulbs! The answer to my anger was there all along, I just needed to look at it differently, and allow “His light” to brighten my spiritual room.

Darkness in our lives can be debilitating. The more we let the bitterness linger, the darker it gets, and the problem gets bigger. But when we realize where and Who we can turn to to change our thought process, and change our mental lightbulbs, our lights can burn brighter than before.

Romans 13:12

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