Lightness Has a Call that's Hard to Hear

As the world is getting lighter, I've been thinking more and more about darkness.

Partly because of the new musical I saw this week (which I talk about in Words for the Week Ahead in our Doubting Believer Community). But partly because of the darkness in the world, and the people who seem hell-bent on contributing to that darkness instead of flooding the world with light.

The musical, Starstruck, is a new one that features music from Emily Saliers, who is one half of the Indigo Girls. The song Closer to Fine (one of their best known) has a line that says

Darkness has a hunger that's insatiable and

Lightness has a call that's hard to hear

Indeed. Darkness does have a hunger. It feeds on fear, anger, resentment, and outrage. It lives in headlines, comment sections, breaking news alerts, and conversations that spiral quickly from concern into fury.

Outrage feels powerful. It feels righteous. Sometimes it feels justified...and often is.

And darkness is rarely satisfied with just a little bit of our attention.
It wants more.
More clicks.
More reactions.
More anger.
More certainty that the other is the enemy.

Darkness has a hunger that is insatiable. It's a lot like the monstrous Venus Flytrap, Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors--once fed, it only wants more.

But lightness? Not quite as demanding or as addictive.

But J esus does not call his followers (aka us) to be the loudest voices of outrage.
He calls us to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14).

Light does not shout darkness into submission.
Light shines.
Light overcomes. (that's Biblical, y'all)

Hearing the call of light look like

• choosing curiosity instead of condemnation.

• logging off before anger turns cruel.

• lifting others up instead of tearing people down

• deleting the rage-filled text before sending

• offering a kind word

• refusing to pass along the rumor (or the post) that would make someone else easier to hate.

So when you feel yourself pulled toward anger that keeps growing…
When outrage begins to feel like the only faithful response…
When the noise of the world drowns out your better instincts…

Take a beat.

The call of lightness might be hard to hear sometimes, but it is always there if we just take the time to listen.