Light and Darkness and Children

Share Now

In the 19th chapter of Leviticus, God gave the Israelites practical laws about how to interact with other people, including these laws:

You shall not curse a deaf man,
nor place a stumbling block before the blind,
but you shall revere your God; I am the Lord.
Leviticus 19:14

What a kind law. How cruel it would be to curse a deaf man or place something in the path of a blind person, causing him or her to stumble and fall.

A person who is totally blind lives without physical light. Without physical light we would all be stumbling around in the dark. As I thought about this post, I looked for photos of sources of illumination. This is an oil lamp from the 1st century BC.

Oil lamp made in Italy, Smithsonian Institution,
Gift of the Estate of David Wolfe Bishop.

These are matching lamps from Mae’s Millinery Shop, which was open from 1941 to 1994.

Collection of the Smithsonian
National Museum of African American History and Culture,
Gift from Mae Reeves and her children,
Donna Limerick and William Mincey, Jr.

These lamps once hung in the artistic home of our dear friends, Sam and Flo Lanford of Urbana, Illinois. Sam was an architect and Flo was a school teacher. Both have have passed away in the last few months after many years of letting their lights shine into the lives of many people, including our family.

I have long enjoyed taking photos of light. This was a sunrise on the North Carolina coast in 2013.

Several years ago, I saw the moon shine on the river near our house. The moon doesn’t actually shine from its own light but rather it reflects the light of the sun. That night the river reflected the reflected light of the moon.

Those without spiritual light are also stumbling about in the dark. Jesus gives that spiritual light which keeps us from stumbling. He said:

“I am the Light of the world;
he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness,
but will have the Light of life.”
John 8:12

Homeschooling gives you daily opportunities to give your children light. How cruel it would be to deprive them of light, leaving them vulnerable to stumbling. Jesus once said to His disciples:

“Are there not twelve hours in the day?
If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble,
because he sees the light of this world. 
But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles,
because the light is not in him.”
John 11:9-10

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said:

“You are the light of the world.”
Matthew 5:14

Just think of all the light your children can bring into this dark, dark world.

Do all things without grumbling or disputing;
so that you will prove yourselves to be
blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach
in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,
among whom you appear as lights in the world.
Philippians 2:14-15

 

 

Share Now

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *