Light

A world without light would not merely be inconvenient--it would likely be a world without life. Few plants can grow without sunlight, and without plants the oxygen supply in our atmosphere would quickly drop to zero.

Still, the adage "You can get too much of a good thing" applies to light. Ask anyone who has suffered skin cancer or cataracts--or even a burn--from too much sun. Even artificial light can be hazardous to health; many a nighttime car accident is due to high-beam headlights catching someone in the eye at the wrong moment.

Therein lies the flaw behind the common idea that one hardly need bother about religion, because God loves people too much to reject anyone halfway decent. (Which is just another way of saying God isn't all that important, that our own standards are good enough.) Actually, God is so pure and perfect that His mere presence destroys sin as surely as the sun blots out lesser lights. If we love our sin (not least our pride that says we are as good as God) too much to part with it, He will throw us out along with it.

Rather than accusing God of unfairness, we should be unmeasurably grateful that He loves us enough to remove our sin so we can enter His presence. And if we truly are grateful, we will not only rejoice in His light but will do everything in our power to share it with others whom He also loves.

Light is a guide:
A guide to keep our feet from stumbling;
A guide to keep our hands from fumbling;
A guide to keep us safe from tumbling,
Lest we drift aside.

Once light is lit,
Whether the sun on a cloudless day,
Or one dim match in the deepest cave,
Only those without sight can ever say
They cannot see it.

Light brings us warmth:
It lends tones of joy to the coldest day,
It can cheer the heart from a fog of gray,
And it lifts the soul that was lost in pain
From a hurt or harm.

Light can cause pain:
It shows each blemish and tiny scar;
It leaves no place to hide in the dark,
And when at its highest, may leave a mark
No one counts as gain.

Light from above
Came into this world to give hope to all,
And to those who see, it gives forth the call
To let God's light shine to the great and small
As a sign of love.