The Light in The Basement

The Light In The Basement   When I was young, all the way through middle school, I was astronomically fearful of the dark. I have no idea why - I don’t know if something happened to me or if I watched too many scary movies, but when I was alone in the pitch black I was terrified.    At one of my birthday parties, my girlfriends and I were playing hide and seek - I think it was my 11th birthday - and I was hiding in my basement. I courageously turned off all of the lights except the one by the door. This gave me just enough light to feel safe and find a hiding spot, but also enough darkness to be hidden.    My friend, who was the seeker, knew I was down there and she also knew I was afraid of the dark. Rather than seeking me out when she got down there she used the fear tactic and it worked like a charm - she turned off the one light, shut the basement door, and ran upstairs to seek out everyone else. She knew I would just come out of hiding eventually because of my fear of the dark.    I was traumatized and utterly terrified - truly. I froze right there behind the boxes, far away from any of the other lights, in the pitch dark, alone. I remember standing right there, not moving one single inch, and began screaming at the top of my lungs for my mother, who was upstairs. Tears were streaming down my face as I screamed and screamed for my mom. I just needed light. That’s all I felt I needed at that moment to feel safe. Light.    Finally, after 45 years (that’s about what it felt like, realistically it was probably 3 minutes) my mother came down, turned the light on, and asked why the heck I was screaming. I don’t remember what happened after that - I don’t remember if my mother condemned me for being a silly young girl scared of the dark or if she helped me see some truth - but I remember the overwhelming sense of safety when that basement door was opened and I could see light again.    Jesus is that light, friend.  He lights the path; to get around the maze of boxes in the dark damp basement, to ease our fears - rational or not.  He’s the only way out of fear. Cry out to Him and Him alone.

Jesus said: “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life. While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world. I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness. For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes.”   For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. - 2 Corinthians 4:6