Blinded by the Light

So I took the long way home from board game night tonight. Why? Because there was a beautiful storm outside and I wanted to experience for as long as possible. As I drove along at around 20 MPH on the back roads between Fayetteville and Springdale I watched the glorious lightning storm play out across the night sky. Huge pulses of light shining behind the clouds. Long forked bolts arcing across the sky. The cool, crisp air blowing in my open window. It was awesome (yes, it really was awe inspiring, so yes I'm using that word).

The only bad part of the experience was all the artificial lighting I encountered along the way. The street lamps, house lights, car headlights, and the like all interfered with my ability to see the amazing power of creation on display around me. It annoyed me immensely.

But it also got me thinking. All this illumination we create every night, all this light we shine out to push back the darkness; sometimes it blinds us to things that we could or should be seeing. I bet that of all the people in the Springdale and Fayetteville area; very few of them were out and about in this storm, and of those that were the majority didn't spare a second's thought for the awesome power and beauty that was on display around them. They were blinded by the very lights that they depend upon to see in the night.

How often do we allow something very similar to happen in our spiritual lives? The "lights" of our own efforts and "righteousness" that try to push back the darkness with only end up blinding us to the glory and power of God that is there all around us in the storm and the darkness. I think we should not be afraid to stand out in the wilderness, far from the light of our "civilization" and to enjoy the amazing creation that God has given to us, and bask in the protecting power that His light surrounds us with. If we do that I think that in the darkest places we will be able to see the clearest.

And next time there is an amazing lightning/thunderstorm going on out there, get out somewhere dark and enjoy the show for a bit.