The alarm went off at 4:25 am and my body wasn’t ready to get up, but my mind convinced my body otherwise.  The hot water began to wake up my sleepy parts, and the rest woke up when I turned the water off and the shower door opened.  Brisk cold air hit my body.  We were in Flagstaff for the weekend and I had an appointment at 7 am in Scottsdale.  Nadine had my hot water and lemon ready along with an apple, a banana, and some nuts (I’m becoming a fruit and nut person).  With a kiss and a goodbye, I headed down the driveway and onto the I-17.  It was pitch black with a harvest moon and millions of stars sparkling in the night sky.  The only lights to guide my way were my headlights of the car illuminating the blacktop.  The high beams gave me more eyesight as I began the journey down the hill to Scottsdale.  None of the ponderosa pines or rock croppings could be seen, but only the stripped white and yellow solid lines passing my car.

Then an interesting sight began to take place.  On the left side of the car (east) I started seeing the outlines of the landscape with the land totally black, along with the sky beginning to turn a dark blue.  A few clouds began to take shape in the sky.  Within a matter of minutes I could see where the land stopped and the sky started in a 360 degree circle.  The light in the sky forced the stars to dim to nothingness as the sky got brighter and brighter.  Outlines of trees and bushes turned to colorful plants and trees.  Rock formations took shape.  Houses began to appear.  The headlight beams began to vanish as the light of the sun brushed them away from the highway.  My car lights had no effect on lighting of my environment as the sun took over.  At that moment I began to gain some insight as to what I was experiencing.

God’s light is much more effective in lighting my way that my own light.  Although the car lights were adequate to keep me between the white lines, they had limited to no value in being able to see my environment.  Black and white.  Darkness and light.  I was unable to see anything else with my headlights.  When the sun came out, it revealed my environment and my surroundings, allowing me to see much more than just the headlights.

My light is very limited in lighting my path in life.  The headlights pushed out the darkness in only one direction.  Maybe 200-400 yards in front of me.  On either side of the car was total darkness.  In back of me was total darkness.  In front of the limitations of the headlights was total darkness.  When I depend upon my light and direction, I am going to be limited in my outcomes and will inevitability lose my way, let alone not seeing all of what God has in store for me.

As I depend on God’s light, it shows so much more beauty around me than my light can do.  It was an amazing sight as God’s light began to push away the darkness.  I got a glimpse of His creation in a whole new way.  I have traveled this road many times, but for the first time I saw the ponderosa trees, cedar trees, narly bushes, and rock formations in an entirely different way.

We can be truly in darkness in the midst of God’s light if we don’t open our eyes to his beauty.  In one sense I have been in darkness on this road even though I have driven this road many times.  When I began to open my eyes to the darkness and the transforming power of God’s light, this stretch of road and everything that I passed took on a transformed perspective.

On this journey of connecting, this principle can be used in our relationships around us.  If we use our own light to look at relationships and their value, we might miss some insights around us that limit our ability to really connect with those we love.  Allowing God to give insight into our relationships and their value will most definitely open our eyes to the riches of deeper connections.

Driving in total darkness with my car lights and seeing the sun begin to illuminate the earth