Are You Living in the Dark?

By Eddie Capparucci, LPC, CSAS

Can you recall as a child being afraid of the dark? If you were one of those unlucky kids, you could remember how frightening it felt when the lights went out, and you tried to focus on going to sleep. But sleep was the farthest thing from your mind. Instead, you were filled with thoughts of evil creatures and bad people you thought were lurking around your room.

As an adult, most likely, you are no longer afraid of the dark. But whether we admit it or not, we still spent much of our lives living in darkness. What does it look like to live in darkness?

• When we hate, we live in darkness
• When we lack joy, we live in darkness
• When we promote disharmony, we live in darkness
• When we are frustrated or intolerant, we live in darkness
• When we merciless, we live in darkness
• When we are spiteful or hateful, we live in darkness
• When we betray or dishonor, we live in darkness
• When we are harsh and uncompassionate, we live in darkness
• When we react without discernment, we live in darkness

But as His children, God calls us to come out of the darkness and walk toward His magnificent light.

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people longing to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”  1 Peter 2:9

So, if I elect to remove myself from the darkness and move toward God’s light, what changes would I expect to see in myself? For the answer, we must look no further than Galatians 5: 22-23.

• When we love, we live in the light
• When we experience joy, we live in the light
• When we bring peace, we live in the light
• When we demonstrate patience, we live in the light
• When we show kindness, we live in the light
• When we display goodness, we live in the light
• When we are faithful, we live in the light
• When we are gentle, we live in the light
• When we demonstrate self-control, we live in the light

I will admit it is not easy to live in the light 24/7. My self-centeredness and mentality of “I want what I want” gets in the way of living in the Spirit. It is a daily commitment I must make as the Spiritual leader of my home to continue along the path of picking up my cross each day and dying for Christ. Some days I do it better than others. And there are many days that I get pulled into acting upon worldly values instead of Spiritual values.

It all starts with self-reflection and asking God to help examine your heart to see the darkness that requires correcting. I hate this exercise because it troubles me when I find darkness lying in my heart (and I always do). Although I realize that no matter how much I work on changing my heart, there will still be some darkness in it come Judgment Day. Having the ability to walk in the light is one of God’s great blessings that as men, we would be foolish not to pursue.

So, where is your life? Is it still dark?