Day 2: Light

The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. John 1:4-5

Light. I once had a dream that I was in the presence of God and the light was so intense that I could feel the light behind my closed sleepy eyelids. Sometimes in life, I have really craved God’s overwhelming light. Then other times I just needed a sliver of light. Just enough light to make it to the next moment, next decision, next day…or just to be able to make it through the kids’ playroom without stepping on a Lego.

When I think of a time when I felt the most filled with light, with a pure joy I never anticipated, it would be just after the delivery of each of my three children. My body seemed to be created for just that moment. Each delivery was drug-free and I remember embracing the pain of birth as my own spiritual rite of passage. I don’t need to Climb Mt. Everest; I’ve seen my own summit. But just as a climber might feel at the top of a mountain, I felt the light touch my soul the second I held each of my children for the first time. It was like my heart being broken open to love. It was surreal. And perfect. It was all light. And it was in those moments I knew that love was light. Light was love.

—Aisha Thomas