How Life is Like a Truck-Part 9
By: Tom Wolff
“Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that it was good.” (Genesis 1:3-4a)
Good indeed – in fact, nothing else would have been possible had light not been the first thing God created. Imagine no artificial lighting – work is done when the sun goes down! I think that was probably more like how it should be. But man soon created artificial light, and we’ve been full speed ahead ever since! Can you imagine the economic ramifications to our economy if we could only work in the daylight?
In the Norwegian town of Longyearbyen, approximately 650 miles from the North Pole, it is perpetually dark for four months and in sunlight for four months. Fascinating, but no thanks. The first automotive headlights began to show up around 1898, and by 1915 electric headlights were available on the Model T. The evolution of headlights from then until now has been astounding!
These days we think nothing of turning on our headlights and going anywhere we want even in the dead of night. However, we have to keep moving to have more of the road illuminated. Once we stop, we can only see the end of our light beam. Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” To get more light, we have to move into the light ahead. As we move forward, more of the path is illuminated – eventually to our destination.
This whole concept of light and movement is crucial in the Bible. In 1 Peter 2:9 we read that being the people of God is a result of having been, “Called out of darkness (by God) into His marvelous light.” (parenthesis added)
Jesus came into the world proclaiming, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” (John 8:12)
The light that leads to life – movement.
We aren’t simply to have a one-time experience with the Lord. Rather, that experience should begin a journey, learning day by day to “walk in His ways.” God has a mission for each one of us (Eph 2:10) and discovering that mission in its fullness will require us to become increasingly more like Jesus – (Rom 8:29). The Christian life is a journey of growth – of forward movement. We aren’t to stay in one place with the Lord. We are continually invited to surrender more and more of our lives to the Savior, thus receiving more of His light for the journey. He will call us to new ways of living which, at first can feel difficult, as we are sometimes tempted to return to old behaviors. But as we continue to stay surrendered and allow the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit to change us, we find the new life becoming a more peaceful, more resolved way of living.
Our journey of spiritual growth is similar to nighttime driving. It is about light and movement. As we are prompted by God to change or lay down certain behaviors, we must surrender them to Him, receiving more light for our forward journey. If we refuse to give up those things, our growth, our forward movement, ends there.
In his classic devotional, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers says, “If things are dark to me, then I may be sure there is something I will not do . . . spiritual darkness comes because of something I do not intend to obey.” I challenge you to take a look at your spiritual journey and ask yourself a few simple questions.
Am I growing in what it means to be a Christian man or woman representing Christ in the trucking industry? Is my life completely surrendered to Jesus? Is there anything He has asked me to do that I have refused to do? What would it cost me to make that change today? As we surrender to the Lordship of Jesus, the road ahead gets brighter and brighter. Our best life awaits us – so let’s resolve to move forward and keep the lights on!
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 (NKJV)