Fog and Light

“God dwells in light. He is light. While we can’t always see the purpose in our circumstances, God’s perspective is different. He has constant vision because He is vision. He dwells in the haze, above it, beyond it.”

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘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 ESV)

I love getting to drive my 2nd grade-boy, Parker, to school. Over the years, we have had the sweetest morning conversations. He is an observer at heart, constantly surveying the world around him. He notices the Lord’s creation in a way that I long to notice it. I took this picture on one of our mornings together. On our drives we talk about the sunrise and the way the Lord paints beautiful masterpieces across the sky. We talk about the darkness on our earliest treks, and we wish for the sun to appear in the sky. We talk about the power of a thunderstorm. And recently, we talked about fog, which has been making an appearance more often this Spring. He asked “Mama what is fog?!”

Fog. 

It’s a little eerie. It hovers over the ground. Have you noticed how it can appear in small patches, sometimes out of nowhere? It’s hazy. It impairs vision. It is disorienting. 

And it dissipates with daylight.

I recently came through a period in my life when I felt surrounded by fog. I am sure a lot of us have felt the foggy headedness of being a new parent or a college student during finals. But this was a different fog- a spiritual haze.

I awoke each day truly disoriented. I physically struggled. I mentally struggled. And of course, I spiritually struggled. I approached each day with the mindset of “just getting by,” hoping for the fog to clear. It is hard to verbally explain, but if you have been there, you know. I blame Covid and grief. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake it. I didn’t want to feel this way, but I was immersed in fog. 

During this time, I struggled to see what God was doing. I struggled to see. It sometimes felt like I was groping through each day, searching for His purpose in my circumstances. Maybe you have experienced this, too. Maybe it was the loss of a job or a sickness. Maybe it was a difficult season in marriage or friendship. Maybe it was fear of the future or complacency in your present, regret over the past. You struggled to see what God was doing.

Here is what I know- fog evaporates with sunlight. With warmth. And I had to invite the Light in. I had retreated into a cave, and I needed to step back out into the light. I had to take literal steps to come out of the fog.

Sometimes we can get so consumed with our circumstances that it creates a haze around us. All we can see is our circumstance. It becomes our focus entirely. I understand if you are in this place. Walking through sickness, hardship, loss, grief- it is difficult. It hovers. Before we know it, we are surrounded by a fog. But if we will seek our Father, this fog can evaporate in the warmth of His light.

God is light- the light of the world. In Him there is no darkness. Isn’t this beautiful? In Him there is vision. Take a look at these beautiful truths in His word:

1.     The Word is our light. The more we immerse ourselves in it, the better vision we have because it illuminates our path. It draws us out of the fog and gives us understanding. It helps us to direct our gaze onto Him instead of ourselves. 

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105 ESV)

“The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.” (Psalm 130:12 ESV)

2.    In God’s presence there is light. He is light. While we can’t always see the purpose in our circumstances, God’s perspective is different. He has constant vision because He is vision. He dwells in the haze, above it, beyond it.

“…even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.”

(Psalm 139:12 ESV)

3.     Jesus lights the path to our redemption. He came to dwell here and bring light to our darkness. 

“…the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.” (Matthew 4:16 ESV)

“In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:4-5 ESV)

Satan dwells in darkness, and he would love to keep us there. He would love for us to stay in the haze and allow it to hover above us and all around us. He wants us to remain disoriented and focused on our circumstances. But the Lord dwells in marvelous light, and He draws us there with Him. His presence dissipates the haze. Sometimes what feels widespread is only a small patch. In the middle of it, we feel surrounded. But our Father is in the midst with us, and He sees outside of the haze. He beckons us to follow Him out- into the light. If you feel like you are walking through a fog today, get into His presence. Get into His Word and remain in Him. Step out into the light.