Tuesday With Teri

          The toilet was running.  I knew I could either lay in the bed and continue telling myself it was a soothing, sleep inducing sound or I could get up and jiggle the handle like usual.  I chose the handle jiggling option.  I know in most homes a short trek from ones bed to the bathroom is not a dangerous feat, but for some of us it can be challenging. 

           As I shuffled in the darkness of the room I soon encountered the inhospitable hope chest which sits at the foot of our bed.  It’s great for holding heirloom items and bruising shins.  My recovery from this impact was short lived.  One step further I found my foot sinking into a soft mound of dirty clothes (you know, that pile you INTENDED to take to the laundry room earlier in the day).  After shaking what I hoped was only a sock from my toes, I foraged onward.  Almost to my destination, I walked confidently into the ironing board(complete with iron) and performed the awkward “steady it before it falls and wakes the husband” dance.  As soon as I felt the smooth floor of the bathroom, I slid inside and quietly closed the door behind me.  I turned on the light, SANCTUARY!  In the wonderful glow of incandescent lighting I was able to make contact with the troublesome toilet and jiggle the handle.  I turned off the bathroom light before opening the door to the darkened bedroom and headed back to bed.

          My return trip to the bedside would be far less eventful.  You see, although once again I was walking in darkness, this time I knew what was in my path.  I planned accordingly, veering a bit as I exited the bathroom to avoid the ironing board and giving the dirty clothes pile and hope chest plenty of passing space on my left.  Once safely snuggled below the covers and ready to enjoy a quieter night’s sleep, I found myself contemplating my late night journey.  Odd, I thought, how easy it was to navigate in the dark once I had a lay of the land, yet how much easier it would it have been had I simply turned on a light.   In a well lit room getting up to jiggle the handle of the toilet would have been quicker, quieter and safer.  I can’t keep from considering how this relates to the darkened world. 

          I think it’s possible that people learn, as I did the other night, to navigate the darkness.   Obstacles that may have once caused us to stop and consider our predicament are now easily avoided.  Painful trial and error can cause us to have a false sense of where to walk.  

          God brings light to our darkened world so we DON’T have to shuffle our way through life wincing in anticipation of obstacles.  He floods the world with light so we can see truth and have hope.   He wants us to journey in the light so we can enjoy the view and have confidence in our steps.  Yet it is easy for man to continue to grope in the darkness, navigating our way through life using any path of least resistance.   Walking  in shin scraping, toe stubbing darkness is not the best way to travel.  For myself, I choose light.