Light Facing

I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness. -Ecclesiastes 2:13

My houseplants reminded me of an important principle today.

I admit, I'm not the most attentive caregiver to my plants. I often forget to water them, and I rarely prune or talk to them (a little humor there, folks). Tonight, though, I was curious about what had happened to their bright pink blooms which had prompted me to buy them in the first place. From my vantage point, all the flowers had disappeared.

Upon closer inspection I realized that all the blooms were on the side of the plants which faced out the window -a window which has tons of light stream through it every day. Aha! So, in botanical matters as well as in spiritual, facing the Light makes a profound difference^.

I did a quick search on BibleGateway.com looking for verses about light. Did you know that there are at least 204 Scripture references to light? Two of my favorites:

You, Lord, are my lamp; the Lord turns my darkness into light. -2 Samuel 22:29

Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of His servant? Let the one who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on their God.             -Isaiah 50:10

And, of course, Jesus referred to Himself as the Light of the world:

I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. -John 8:12

I love how God can use nature to point us toward Him, deepen our understanding, and enrich our faith!


^The plant on the left looked like this after I turned it around:

...while the one on the right looked like this before I turned it around: