Nightlight

The older one gets, the more intense the fear of falling becomes. Recently, I visited an older couple and noticed every outlet in their home had a nightlight plugged into it. They traced the floorboards of the entire home. As soon as I noticed this, I impulsively shouted, “that’s brilliant!” The fear of falling, especially at night, can be scary. And we all know that it only takes one fall for our health to snowball into something worse.

This couple have lived in the same house for over 20 years. They have memorized the location of every piece of furniture, but the nightlights are still needed. The little lights provide a shadow for the occasional slipper in the hallway or the cat scurrying out of the bathroom. The light doesn’t remove the obstacles; it simply provides a pathway to avoid disaster.

God is our nightlight. We can pray for God to make us younger… but that won’t happen. We can pray for God to tidy up the house before we head to bed… but that won’t happen. Our faith does not solve our problems; our faith helps us get through them. The simple idea of adding a nightlight can help us take one safe step after another. We cannot pray our way into an easy life, but prayer and self-reflection can help us see what is in front of us.

The thing about nightlights is that after the sun goes down, it’s too late to set them up. We turn to God in moments of calm so that when darkness arrives, we are prepared to overcome it. In my time as a hospital chaplain, it was strikingly obvious to me which patients were people of deep faith. Those with a practiced faith exuded an attitude of hope amid their struggles. Those without faith were far more likely to be bitter about their circumstances and feel as though they were entitled to good health.

Life can be scary regardless of what age we are. There are wars, abuse, corruption, economic hardships, addictions, and disease. Fear is the logical response. Bitterness is tempting. But God does not leave us abandoned. Without God, we’d fall almost instantly. God has traced our life with nightlights. We have Scripture, a power story of hope in the darkness. We have the prophets, inspiring us to confront the powerful. We have community, providing us with lived examples of generosity and service toward one another.  

God will continue to light our way. If you have forgotten to set out your nightlights, your faith community is here to help. If you’re like me, a little too young to worry about falling, then now it the time to develop a faith that will make all the difference when the scary moments inevitably arise. God indeed “is a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path" (Psalm 119:105).

Shining bright,

Pastor Lucas