The Light

Hey everyone. It's been a long time since I last wrote on my blog and it's time to start again. 

I'm writing this from my campsite at Madge Lake. Our campsite is right beside the lake and it's so beautiful!

There is a line from a song that I used to listen to in the 80s (yes I'm getting old!), and it goes like this: "it's better to burn out, than fade away.....". 

Then God impressed on me that this is not the way he wants me to see life at all. It's true that if I think of life as something that I live from a worldly perspective, then it makes sense to try and make a splash- to make my life count, to try and get noticed, to burn as bright as I can because it is only for a short time and I should try and go big or go home so to speak. 

But then I realized that the light of my life is not something that I need to shine to impress others because that is really small and fleeting. No. The light I have is the eternal light of Jesus that transcends time itself!  And to imagine that the Light of this world is Someone who loves me and who has established me and given hope and true life.......well compare that with my feeble attempts to do this on my own is so very empty and small. 

The line from this song shows a deep longing in every heart to "matter". We all want to know that the world would be worse off if we weren't here. But to try to do that on our own quickly shows itself for what it is: empty. 

I want to encourage you all to see your lives in the light of Jesus who shines brighter than the universe itself. He is beyond time and when our lives are found in Him then we find ourselves basking in truth of knowing that my life counts for an awful lot because I know that He sacrificed an awful lot to save it and give it meaning and purpose. 

You don't need to try and shine bright to avoid "fading away" because the light of Jesus is shining in the lives of those He calls His children. 

I have attached a picture of the lake by my campsite. You can see the light shining on the lake. It is a light that that I did nothing to produce or improve- and it's beautiful! May this be a picture of the the light of Jesus that shines in and on you today. 

BT

Pastor Brian Tysdal

Rock of Ages Church

Saskatoon, Sask.