And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you: God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5
Photo Courtesy of Pixabay.com
My mom gave Mason Laser Chess for his birthday a few years ago. The playing pieces have a mirror on one side that deflects the light, and plastic on the other side that absorbs it. The point is to arrange your pieces so your laser bounces off mirror after mirror until it hits your opponent’s king. At the same time, you have to make sure none of your pieces absorb your opponent’s laser, or they get knocked out of the game.
It feels very similar to all that’s going on in the world right now.
Despite the fact that we all wish we could fast forward through the crises we’re facing, my spiritual director recently quoted the poet Hafiz: “The place where you are right now, God circled on a map for you.” This is our reality, whether we like it or not, and God will bring good from it, if we let Him.
However, if we’re not careful about what we choose to absorb, and the source it comes from, hope gets knocked out of our hearts. Like losing the king in a game of chess, once we lose hope, there seems to be no point in moving forward.
That’s why it’s critical for us to be strategic. We need to position ourselves in God’s light, surrounding ourselves with life-giving supports that further reflect that beam: friends, family, and activities rooted in love.
Like those pieces on the chess board, when we use discernment in what we expose ourselves to, and the actions we take, we extend God’s light into the darkness. That’s how we knock it out of the equation. That’s how we declare victory over what is vying to take us down.
Questions for Reflection:
* What have I been exposing myself to during the multiple crises in the world?
* Do they have me absorbing the darkness? Or are they helping me to reflect and extend God’s light?
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Shifting My Perspective 
“The place where you are right now God circled on the map for you!” Such an enlightened truth, Claire, that we need to plant deeply within our spirits and draw forth into our conscious awareness as often as we can each day, especially when the intense darkness spread throughout our present society seems to threaten and dominate the Light within us, tempting us to lose hope. But our faith and trust in Christ tells the truth, whether we feel it or not. Christ, once and for all defeated the darkness, and His Light, Love, Strength and Protection fill our spirits and never leave us, even if we feel abandoned and alone in that seemingly dark place He might circle on the map for us today.
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So true, Jackie! And it’s reading your words that further plant that concept deeper within me. Thank you for you conviction and deep faith. You yourself are helping to shine that bright light that we all need, especially right now!
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