Were you ever afraid of the dark as a child?

Oh, I was.

…I would call it more of a “tormenting level” of fear of the darkness.

And somehow, I knew, even as a tiny little child, that if I just turned on a “light”—even the tiniest little bit of light…

I would be “okay.”

I would feel better.

The fear would start to fade away.

Now, I didn’t know and understand why I knew the “light” would make me feel better—I just knew that it did.

Somehow I knew that there are things that “hide” in the darkness— things that are “not good.”

I was afraid of what was “hiding” in the darkness that I could not see.

And somehow I knew…

…that the “light” was going to calm my fears as “darkness was driven away.”

Nobody ever “taught” me this, at that age.

I just knew it. I experienced it…

But what I didn’t realize at the time…

…is that God was already getting me through what I was going through.

Even then, He was already in the process of setting me free. He was in the process of redeeming my life.

My Heavenly Father was already teaching me the lesson of His “light” and the “darkness”…even as a little child. 💡

And all along, He was planning on redeeming every. single. night of tormenting fear that I endured.

And “darkness” was already trying to claim a hold on my life, but God had greater plans—He had already claimed me as His own. 💝☀️

His work, was already in the works. ✨

And He had already made good plans to redeem my story, and to use it in a way, that I never would have dreamed.

I know I’ve shared this before, but I want to share this picture that a distant relative painted for me, of “me”… when “I was little.” I don’t think the artist realized what I was going through at the time, as I barely knew this relative… and I honestly never thought too much of this picture for years…but now, I can see…

…and now I realize, at least in part— what God was doing… all along. 💗☀️🌈

“Once your life was full of sin’s darkness, but now you have the very light of our Lord shining through you because of your union with him. Your mission is to live as children flooded with his revelation-light! And the supernatural fruits of his light will be seen in you—goodness, righteousness, and truth. Then you will learn to choose what is beautiful to our Lord.”—Ephesians 5:8 TPT

“The night is nearly over; the day has drawn near. So let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”—Romans 13:12

Lord Jesus, thank You for being our LIGHT, thank You that we do not need to fear the darkness, for YOU live and shine within us, and through us!

Thank You, Father. 💝

-Heather 🌺