Losing Perspective in the Darkness

By Cheryle M. Touchton
The Pocket Full of Quarters Lady

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

I was on the phone with My Best Friend Nancy as I stepped outside my camper. It was dark and Belle needed to walk.

“I can’t see anything,” I cried. Nancy didn’t like hearing that. She frets about me traveling alone and does not like me being outside at night.

“I can’t see and I can’t remember where the lake is. I can hear the frogs but it sounds like they are everywhere. How do I know I’m not going to walk Belle into the lake? Do they have alligators in South Carolina?”

“Yes,” Nancy said. “They do have alligators. Alligators eat dogs.”

“Great,” I said. “I’ve completely lost my perspective in this dark.” An alligator didn’t eat Belle and I didn’t fall in the lake.

A couple of weeks later, I stepped outside in the pitch-black dark in Colorado. I knew there was a giant cliff close to me that dropped hundreds of feet into the canyon below but couldn’t remember which direction it was in. I knew that if Belle and I walked over the cliff, bad things were going to happen. I turned on my tiny flashlight beam and still couldn’t get my perspective back. I had completely lost my way and that tiny beam that pointed in one direction didn’t help. I needed a light that lit up the darkness all around me.

I meet many people who have lost their way. It is as if they are wandering around in the darkness and do not even notice it is dark. They don’t know which way to go or that there is anything available but darkness. They have lost their perspective about the difference between right and wrong. They have no idea of what living in the light could even be like. They have no memory of anything but darkness so darkness seems normal. They wander around dangerously close to a cliff and sometimes they fall over.

Occasionally, people shine tiny lights their way in the form of rebukes, pep talks, or advice. “You can do better,” people suggest. “Stop or you’ll kill yourself,” frantic loved ones cry. Unfortunately, like my tiny flashlight beam, these poor lost souls see the light but it does not illuminate the darkness or help them find their way out.

The only hope is to allow the bright illuminating “Sonshine” of Christ’s love and grace burst through us in the form of love, grace, faith, and kindness. The light of Christ is so bright that not only will it light up their darkness, it will make them long to walk towards it. Once they accept the love and grace of Jesus, He will convict their heart about sin and show them a way out.
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Cheryle M. Touchton is the Director of Pocket Full of Change Ministries. For more information or to schedule a speaker for an event, go to www.pocketfullofchange.org or call Cheryle Touchton at 904-614-3585.

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