Hungry for the Light by Britney Baer

Living through a Seattle winter has taught me a few things about sunshine. While it isn’t miserably cold or harsh—and can be beautiful in its own way—it’s just not sunny. It is gray, mild and wet…pretty much every day for months.

Recently, warm winds rolled in from the Pacific and the clouds parted so that we could see our shadows stretching across new grass. And, with the warmth and sunshine, the city came to life and breathed a collective sigh of relief. When the weather turns beautiful like this, we stop fretting about running late, we sit in sun-induced traffic with the windows down and talk about Mt. Rainier towering in the distance. We laugh with friends and neighbors as we anticipate summer's messy houses, easy dinners and forgotten bedtimes. Without hesitation we drop our stale, boring indoor plans for shiny, new outdoor activities, all in response to SUNSHINE.

After months of long, dark days, there is nothing we wouldn’t do for these “spring feelings”—the deep longing for sunshine, the abandon that comes when it arrives, the excitement of chasing it into the yard and down long highways and up tall mountains. I didn't think anything could compare to these gifts of nature, but recently, in my time with scripture, I discovered “spring feelings” that melted my heart in a different way:

“In addition, we have a most reliable prophetic word, and you would do well to pay attention to it, just as you would to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” (2 Peter 1:19, Common English Bible)

The Message translation puts it like this:

“We couldn’t be more sure of what we saw and heard—God’s glory, God’s voice. The prophetic Word was confirmed to us. You’ll do well to keep focusing on it. It’s the one light you have in a dark time as you wait for daybreak and the rising of the Morning Star in your hearts.”

Life without the Word of God is nothing more than a dark night—a shadowy winter in my soul. And I get what it feels like to wait and want for light. Outside, I might finally see blue skies and pink blossoms and golden sunlight on my arms, but inside, in my heart and soul, I’m still stuck in hibernation mode if God’s voice, his Word, isn’t shining in. Outside, my patch of lettuce may be sprouting and growing fat in the morning sun, but inside, the ways in which I need to grow lie dormant if I’m not turned towards a spiritual daybreak.

The good news is that it’s not dead in there, it's just waiting for a small taste of light. Just a spark of illumination. Waiting for me to realize again how hungry I am for real, consistent time in the Word. Waiting for me to determine the time and place I need to go to find it. Waiting for me to readjust myself toward that one true light—God’s word—so that I can see more clearly and live more fully.

I know what it feels like to rejoice in earthly beauty and long-awaited seasons. But His Word is the most true and precious light I have on this earth. And when I turn to scripture, those beams reach into my heart and I see the actual dawning of God’s radiant promises in my life.

Britney Baer is a born-and-raised Southern girl married to a born-and-raised African boy. Writing about Jesus, life, motherhood, (and sometimes chickens) is what keeps her sane, and she's learned to treasure the simple power of sharing stories. You can find hers at www.baretribe.blogspot.com.