The LIGHT of the WorldSample

H stands for harsh

Light can be harsh. Have your parents ever busted into your bedroom to wake you up for school and flipped on the lights? Harsh. Has anyone ever shined a flashlight in your face while you were sitting around a campfire? Harsh. Have you stepped out into a bright day without sunglasses? Harsh.

If Jesus is the Light of the world, that means he can be harsh. “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed” (John 3:19,20). Why didn’t everyone love Jesus? Because he was the Light who exposed the sins of men, which feels harsh to hearts that want what they want.

Jesus’ light might feel harsh to you too. If you want to live your truth, follow your heart, claim autonomy and authority over your body, and think that going to church means you don’t have to change, you will want to hide from Jesus’ light. Because Jesus points his Word like a helicopter spotlight on your heart and says, “That’s wrong. That has to change.”

Jesus, like light, is a complex reality. While he can feel harsh at first, his light is the source of life, illumination, and growth. So don’t run back to the dark. Eventually, life is much better in the light.