Silence?

 

Silence?               

By John W, Vander Velden

 

Silence is never misquoted.

I thought there was wisdom in that phrase. And there is. But the more I thought about it the more I came to understand there is a place for silence and there is place for other actions.

For though we cannot be held accountable for the words unsaid. And there are times when shouting voices are best ignored. Yet there are times when our silence speaks words we should never say...may reinforce actions that we should not condone.

There is a time for silence. Just as the list in Proverbs speaks of a time for all things there is a time when our lips should be sealed. Often verbal attacks directly aimed at our person are best answered with silence. But when those verbal abuses are pointed toward the innocent not speaking on their behalf may not be the best response.

Each of us must decide what we stand for and what response we hope is best. But we must do so prayerfully, trusting our God to help us to choose our words and actions that form the best response to difficult situations.

To direct ourselves, in determining:

What do we stand for?

What do we believe?

What would God want us to do?

What would be the best result possible?

And do we have the courage to stand up and be counted?

The weak are always outnumbered by the loud voices of would be bullies. Do we have the courage to stand with the few, against the many? Do we have the courage to speak the truth when lies are believed by the masses?

There will be times that if we do not stand up...no one will.

Silence is never misquoted. But it not always God’s response!

4-5-2022 (292 Words)

Let There Be Light

 

Let There Be Light 

By John W. Vander Velden 

The first three words used to open the Bible are “In the beginning”, Genesis 1: 1.  Knowing that bit of info has been a blessing once when we played “Trivia Pursuit” years ago. But the phrase, “Let there be light” comes soon after, as it is the first part of God’s creation. 

I find that to be significant. 

Imagine the universe totally absent of light. 

A bit of physics here. Darkness in truth does not exist. Try explaining that to a child trembling beneath the covers. But just like cold doesn’t exist, darkness, on its own, does not either. Simply put, cold is the lack of heat, and darkness is the absence of light. 

Does that help? 

I didn’t think so. 

Let me step back a bit. There is a phrase I have heard from time to time, “you can’t mix light with darkness.” And that in the most general sense is true, such as you can’t mix sand and water. Because given enough time the sand will settle out. Yet that phrase about light is often used incorrectly. Times it is used as a foundation statement of judgement while comparing one thing to another, as if light would be diminished or threatened when exposed to darkness. 

But that is ridiculous. 

Because in truth darkness is only the lack of light. 

An example: Perhaps you have gone on a tour deep into one cave or another. When your party is led to the deepest portion of the underground cavern the lights are extinguished and you find yourself in total darkness. Even if you haven’t had the experience, you know people that have. You literally cannot see your hand before your eyes. 

That pitch that surrounds you is the lack of light, for the total darkness vanishes the instant light is restored. The darkness is displaced by the illuminated bulbs. 

Now for an imaginary scenario. 

Imagine that instead of a space far beneath the surface, you replace it with a gigantic sports dome. The biggest you can imagine. You are in this immense space and by some situation all the lights have been turned off and all the gaps sealed so absolutely no light from the outside can penetrate the grand space. The darkness is complete...dense...almost suffocating. Somewhere within that vast space, someone strikes a match. Near or far it makes no difference. A match. A tiny flame. But you instantly see the light. Even if it is across the length of that arena. Perhaps more than a hundred yards away, but you see that tiny flicker of light. Even surrounded by that immense volume in darkness, one little match cuts through the blackness. 

Light does not fear the dark! The dark cannot make the light less light, but ANY light makes the dark less dark. Light conquers darkness every time! 

Now back to the beginning and the significance of the words, “Let there be light.” 

Genesis tell us that God commanded that there should be light, and then pronounced it good. God brought light where no light existed. If we only consider that from the purely physical point of view, it is amazing. But let us see it in the symbolic value as well. 

Cold, darkness, evil, are only the lack of the positives that can brush them aside. God provides the positives. Warmth...light...love. These things and all other GOOD things find their source in God the Master and Ruler of the universe. 

Light entered the universe and pushed darkness’ veil aside. So much so that God provided boundaries to where the light would go. Night and day for instance. That is about the physical value of light. But we are taught that there is a deeper value than the superficial. 

Jesus tells us He is the light of the world. 

Not a lamp. Not a candle. Not stadium lights. No, Jesus is the light that CAN conquer the darkness that seeks to swallow us. The light of Christ is the power to overcome hate, envy, cruelty, deceit, and all forms of evil. 

Jesus is the light! 

The only REAL light in this dark world. 

That light is a free gift available to anyone. Yet there are those that refuse to see the value of the gift...refuse to see the light that is right in front of them...unable to see how that light can penetrate even the darkest corners of their lives. How the light will make their lives better. 

So where does that leave us? 

For each person must decide if they will allow the light to enter their life. 

It is a personal choice, no one, not your friends, your parents, or your spouse, can make that decision for you. 

I have chosen light! 

Have you?