John 8:12 Again   Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”


John uses the images of darkness and light again and again in his writing about Jesus. I was leading an Alpha class tonight and in the talk Nicky Gumble spoke about the moment when he found his personal relationship with Jesus. He said it was like a light switch had been turned on, and he was no longer in the darkness. He also said that he didn't even know he was in the dark until then. I can identify with that experience. I left the retreat where my personal relationship with Jesus began and everything in the world seemed different. It was as if I had a new pair of eyes, but not just for physical sight, but also for appreciation of every aspect of life. My Marriage , my children, my job, my faith, all changed and looked better and different with my new relationship with Jesus. I left for that retreat looking for something I had seen in others, but I had no idea that the whole world could look so different. I would have said my view of the world was positive and realistic, but in hind sight I was so wrong.
I once heard Tony Campolo speak of a night in Porte Prince Haiti. He was approached by two young girls who tried to solicit him for sex. He said they didn't even look like teenagers. He hired them for the whole night and took them to his room where he got Disney movies and ice cream and soda and other treats and allowed the girls to be girls for one night. He watched as they giggled and ate and laughed and just enjoyed being kids. He said when he looked at them on the street, he saw them with the eyes of Jesus. Do you want to see the world through the eyes of Jesus? It will look very different you know. The lights will be on and the world will not look so bad, in fact it won't look bad at all.