When you think of light, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? As you think of this question, you’ll quickly find out how hard it is to pin down what light is, because there are many ways to describe it.

In the Bible, God reveals that He is Light, and to me it makes sense that He would be light Himself. Like God, light is understood in some ways, yet there’s a depth in understanding light that we as humans have yet to reach yet.

What we do know however is the spectrum of meaning that light has, as is noted in the image above. It shines and makes us feel loved, yet also reveals and makes us uncomfortable. But why does this matter?

Light is so good, it has to challenge us

I find that we embrace the good feeling of light quicker than the hard reality it shows us — whether showing us ourselves, others, or situations. Even when we speak to others and say that they’re such a bright light, we don’t consider how the light of others also would bring exposure about us. Ideally, we’d embrace the light and all that it brings, but Jesus shared with us that we actually love the darkness more.

When I think about the ways I want God to shine His light in my life and through me, I don’t realize how much this prayer would cost me. Asking God to shine through me will produce alot of discomfort, knowing how much my own actions can hide who He is, which God is intent on working on.

Others have given constructive criticism of my habits, and many times I’ve gotten defensive and even stubborn against what is being exposed about me. For example, when I was younger I was stingy with my money, yet in my eyes I was “conservative” and a “saver.” Years after being offended at being labeled stingy, and working on giving more, there have been small moments where I’ve been stung by a reminder that my actions displayed stinginess.

Or I can tell of the moment last year when my beloved girlfriend mentioned to me how comfortable I was with my life a few months after we started dating. Imagine my shock, as I responded in bewilderment about this “comfort” I was accused of falling into. Except it was not an accusation. It was just an observation that exposed me for where and who I was.

How many moments have you experienced in your life where your first thought wasn’t thankfulness for the light that shined on your heart? If we’re honest, we’re more prone to run to the light switch, because it’s too bright in here. Your friends and family are too loud, and they need to chill out!

God is light, and there’s no darkness in Him. He’s the Father of lights, in whom there’s no shade of turning, meaning no change in character. This matters because when someone is a light, there’s goodness that’s comforting, but there’s also discomfort that occurs through the way it exposes you. On the other side of discomfort though is a light that won’t ever be dimmed, because you experience a freedom that can’t be taken away from you.