Rage
For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. Ephesians 5:8-9
I once heard of a poem from a poet named Dylan Thomas called “Do not go gentle into that good night.” After reading it, my positive vibes about it. It spoke to me because of a phrase that became famous. It said, “Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” It was actually a testimonial to his aging father who was going blind, and you can see that throughout the poem. But poetry is not just about what is easy to see (no pun intended). It is about a greater meaning beyond just the simple words that rhyme. Dylan was considered a modern poet. Thus, his view of the world was one of it being broken and shattered, and the only way to make sense of it and put it back together was through his poetry. If you think that explanation sounds crazy, I got an excellent grade in an English Literature class understanding this! But I digress. 😊 The point of this rage is not just about losing sight at all. It is about fighting against a loss of passion for living.
As Christians, we should not be concerned with this because life in the world pales in comparison to life with Jesus Christ, right? Well, we are not reading the phrase right because if we understand who Christ is, we know that He is the light of the world. So, raging against the dying of the light is not about our life. It is raging against losing the light that shines within us through Christ. That is what we are to rage against.
We should always be inspired as children of God to live out His will for our lives. Having now gone through Easter, many will relax and continue their journey. However, Easter is but a reminder of why we have eternal life through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter is only one day. Our journey of faith is a daily, weekly, and yearly endeavor. If we lose sight of this, we may very well fall back into darkness. In that sense, we must continue to challenge ourselves to grow, and that does not happen just on Easter Sunday. Yesterday, I found myself inspired by someone who I had never heard from using a verse from Jude reminding me to have no fear through the love of God. It pushed me to endure present day challenges. That is how the light of God works. It shines through us to give others a pathway to see His way, His kingdom, and His will. In The Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.” (Matthew 5:14-15) We must be shining examples of who Jesus is, and that does not mean we will be perfect. It does mean that as we grow to learn from His teachings, our light will shine brighter as today’s verses point out, the light “produces only what is good and right and true.”
Focusing on living a Christian life is often not for the faint of heart. It requires work, growth, pain, and suffering in the name of Christ. However, if we can stay true to His word and in the words of Paul in 2 Timothy 4 of fighting the good fight, finishing the race, and keeping the faith, there is the crown of righteousness that awaits us. So, let us focus on letting our light shine with an eye on the prize beyond what is of this world. Where can you find inspiration in God’s word to spark a greater light within you? How can you tap into the fighting spirit to shine God’s light onto others? My prayer is that we continually grow such that when things look darkest, we find inspiration from Jesus Christ to rage against the dying of the light. Amen.