But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory. (2 Cor. 3:18)
Dearest Daughters,
I recently had a conversation with an Alaskan man that got my attention. He was talking about the constant problem people in Alaska, and in many northern countries, face with vitamin D deficiency.
Vitamin D is the vitamin our bodies get through exposure to sunlight. It’s absorbed through watching a sunset or sunrise, and through simply living in the sun. This vitamin helps the body absorb calcium, strengthening bones, muscles, and teeth, and even contributing to emotional well-being. But after months of winter and near darkness, where the sun barely peeks above the horizon for an hour or two each day, many people emerge from winter feeling depressed, weak, fatigued, and physically depleted. Some even develop bone disorders and increased fragility.
What struck me was that even many people who are health conscious and faithfully take vitamin D supplements still discover, through bloodwork, that they are deficient.
And interestingly, vitamin D deficiency is becoming increasingly common even in places filled with sunshine, simply because so many people spend enormous amounts of time indoors, disconnected from natural light.
But it especially affects the far north after long winters. This got me thinking about spiritual life. Because we need light both naturally and spiritually.
Naturally, light strengthens us. It lifts mood, strengthens muscles and bones, and keeps us from becoming brittle and injury-prone. Without enough light, people weaken.
Spiritually, I believe the same thing can happen.
Jesus so often used physical realities to describe spiritual truths: light, bread, water, the body, ligaments, joints, sight, blindness, fruit, seed.
So what is “light” according to Scripture? One of the primary ways we receive light is through the Word of God. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Ps. 119:105)
The Word of God brings light into dark places. And I don’t believe this refers only to reading Scripture privately, though that is essential. I also believe it includes the living Word preached through those whom God sends to us.
As Romans says:
“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach). (Rom. 10:8)
Faith is ignited when the Word comes alive through those God sends us, then enters our hearts, and begins to live in our mouths also.
This is why it matters so much where we situate ourselves spiritually. We need to be in places where the Word of God is living, active, spoken, embodied, and believed.
Another way light comes to us is through the unveiled faces of our brothers and sisters.
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory. (2 Cor. 3:18)
When believers walk honestly and transparently before God and one another, they begin reflecting His light back upon each other. We become, in a sense, beams of reflected glory, mirrors catching the light of Christ and shining it into one another’s lives. This is why fellowship and community are so vital.
We need to be in the presence of people whose lives shine the presence of God on us and to us. And we ourselves are called to become that kind of light for others.
When we walk in the presence of His people, we are also walking in the atmosphere of His presence.
And then there is the matter of our own transparency before God. Light cannot penetrate tinted windows. If we layer our lives with distraction, manipulation, hiddenness, dishonesty, bitterness, pride, or self-protection, we slowly become opaque and stop seeing clearly. We stop receiving light clearly.
True honesty is more than merely abstaining from a direct lie. It is a vulnerable openness before God and His people. It is living with untinted windows.
I remember seasons in my own life when I didn’t even realize how little light I was receiving until I stepped back into the light again. Everything had become dim and distorted. Relationships became confusing. Problems became exaggerated and frightening. A shadowy stump in the yard begins to look like a bear on a dark Alaskan winter evening, and spiritually, that same thing can happen.
Without enough light, we begin seeing our brothers, our circumstances, and even ourselves through distortion, judgment, and fear. But a moment in the presence of God and His people can cast out the dark distortions, and everything becomes clear again.
And what are the “muscles” and “bones” of spiritual life that can become weakened without light?
They are the inner strength and flexibility that allow us to move with grace, humility, courage, forgiveness, wisdom, and endurance in every capacity God has called us to walk in. When those spiritual bones become weak and brittle, fractures begin appearing in relationships, churches, families, and hearts.
Ephesians says that the whole body is joined and strengthened by “that which every joint supplies” (Eph. 4:16).
When ligaments tear apart, when relationships lose grace, when fellowship breaks down, perhaps one of the first questions we should ask ourselves is this: Am I getting enough light?
Am I receiving the Word of God, in Scripture and through the living voice of faith-filled believers whom God sends to me?
Am I walking in fellowship where His face shines upon me through my brothers and sisters?
And am I keeping my own heart transparent before Him, without tinted windows?
Because God desires vibrant, joyful, healthy Christians—people strong in spirit, supple in love, and radiant with His presence.
So step into the light in every way you can. The winter doesn’t have to last forever. Even in the far north, the sun eventually rises again. And in Christ, that summer Sun can shine even at midnight.
With all my love,
Mom
Amen. Even at midnight:)