Night Light

Something woke me up in the middle of the night. My eyes opened but I didn't move. I kept listening. A minute or two later, I sat up and listened. The bedroom was dark. I strained to see through the darkness and I listened for any unusual noises. I saw nothing. I heard nothing.

But I felt something. The familiar middle-of-the-night urge insisted on a trip to the bathroom. I threw the covers back, swung my feet to the floor, and stood up.

Something moved. Someone was standing less than ten feet away. He was right in front of me. I instinctively crouched down and froze, hoping he did not see me. But he must have. He, too, flinched and stood silent.

I waited for him to make a move. He didn't. My shotgun was under the bed. I knew that, but he didn't. That was my advantage. I had no idea what his advantage was. Did he have a gun or a knife?

I stood there frozen, thinking of what I would do if he made a move. My plan was to lunge forward into him, knocking him against the wall if he moved. He never moved.

My muscles were tense. Sweat ran down my face. The urge that got me out of bed had tripled in its intensity. I decided to make the first move. I could barely see him in the darkness. We had both been so still for so long, that I almost couldn't see him at all. I slowly, almost unnoticeably bent down a little lower to reach my shotgun. I thought I saw him move.

Then I noticed something unusual. My bedroom door was closed. That door was never closed. I left it open so I could hear the kids if they called out during the night. Why would a burglar/murderer/pervert close my door?

I made another slight move to reach under my bed. I didn't find my gun, but I did find a flashlight. Aha! I could blind him with the light and then charge into him. I jumped up and flashed the light into his eyes...

Oddly enough, he was wearing the same brand of underwear as I, and he was shining a flashlight at me! It was a "duh" moment.

Behind my bedroom door was a full length mirror. My burglar/murderer/pervert was me. I had been in a twenty minute standoff with my own reflection.

I remember thinking: "This is something I should never tell anyone!" But God said, "Nope. Not only is this hilarious and embarrassing. It makes a good point."

What point? The whole scenario could have been avoided if I only had a little more light. Life is full of moments where a little more light could make a great difference in our decisions.

I was alone, but thought I wasn't. A little more light would have made that clear to me. I wasn't in danger, but thought I was. A little more light could have saved me a great deal of anxiety.

An endless supply of light is available to us. He who said, "I am the light of the world," wants to enter our lives and cast darkness out of every corner. Jesus is the light you need for the uncertainties you face.

He'll leave the light on for you...
Perry Crisp