Several
times, in the last month or so, I have driven to work, in the morning, in the
fog. The high humidity and relatively cooler temperature shrouds the morning in
a thin gray blanket of moisture, which hangs in the air until the sun can burn
it away. Often it disappears rather quickly, but sometimes it hangs on, well
into the day.
Fog
does strange things to our world. Fog has a way of distorting the familiar. It
can hide our world in a thick blanket of damp coldness. Or it can make the
countryside appear as if we are seeing it through an improperly focused lens.
Fog
can also be dangerous. If it is too thick,
it can blind us to what is ahead. Several years ago a young woman rear
ended a stopped school bus on country road, because she didn’t see it in the
fog. If nothing else, fog makes our
world dark and dreary. By obscuring the sun, fog robs us of both light and
warmth. It can seep even into our souls, wrapping our spirit in its clammy
blanket.
There
are many times in life when we feel like we are living in a fog. It is not a
physical fog that we know will soon disappear. It is an emotional and spiritual
fog that can hang on for extended periods of time. This fog can distort our
world just like its tangible cousin. When we live in a fog, we can’t see things as they really are. Instead, we begin to see
distorted shapes that take on an air of foreboding. Living in a fog is
dangerous, because we become blind to real dangers, while we are running from
imaginary ones. We are more likely to slip and fall emotionally, spiritually,
or morally when we live in a fog. So what can we do to pierce the fog? To
pierce the fog, we need light, the light of the Son.
When
we are engulfed in a fog, we need to hold onto the truth that the light is
there. When our physical world is blanketed by fog, we know that the sun was
still there, even if we can’t see it. If we are going to pierce the spiritual fog,
we need to hold onto the reality that the Son is always with us, even though we
cannot see Him. When our world looks distorted, we need to hang onto what we
know to be solid and true. Jesus promised that He would never abandon us. “And surely I am with you always, to the very
end of the age.” Matthew 28:20b (NIV)
When
we are engulfed in a fog, we need to
actively seek the light. During the winter months, when light is at its
minimum, many people feel discouraged and lack energy, because there is less
sunlight. This is known as seasonal affective disorder. Some people find relief
from this disorder through the use of a special full-spectrum lamp. This lamp
simulates the light of the sun. When we are living in an emotional/spiritual
fog, we can find relief by going to God’s Word. The Bible is a genuine source
of the light of Christ. It is available to us at any time. The Psalmist reminds
us that when life looks dark, God’s Word can guide us. “Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light for my path.” Psalm
119:105 (NIV)
When
we are living in a fog, we need to look ahead and visualize a positive future. At
the beginning of the summer we went through a very long stretch of overcast,
dreary weather. As each overcast morning dawned, it got easier to slip into the
negative idea that we will never see the sun again. Of course the rain stopped
and the sun did come out. The fog and clouds cannot last forever. Eventually
the sun breaks through and dispels the gloom. The same is true emotionally and
spiritually. Although our dark days may hang on, we can look ahead to a
different reality. The day is coming when the light of Christ will break
through and allow us to see things clearly again. He will not leave us in the
fog forever. If we will reach out to him he will pierce our fog and flood us
with his light.
When
Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever
follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’
John 8:12 (NIV)
