Opinion/Resources/Christian Perspective

By Jenna Ditsch

Photo: Deposit

As I sit here and write this blog at 9:20 PM, it is with a tension I feel often but rarely find a way to concisely articulate. I must confess that I have a fear. I fear that the Western church has been living in the compromise of individuality for so long that most of us don’t realize how far from the Gospel of the Kingdom we’ve strayed. I wonder how we will be the light that overcomes darkness when we, ourselves, are walking in that darkness?

Let’s back up. In fact, let’s go back in time to approximately 9:00 AM this morning. Thursdays are my work-from-home days, and the only day that my schedule is not rigid. I wanted to dive deep into the Word because I always find God in His Word. I asked Him what I should study. 1 John 1 immediately popped into my mind.

I’d like to take you through a bit of the narration of this morning’s journey with the Holy Spirit as I studied the words of 1 John starting at verse 5.

Exploration

Everything was great in the beginning. I read the subtitle to the section: “God is Light.” Awesome. Who wouldn’t like that? Let’s start by reading the verse until the Holy Spirit stops me.

This is the message we have heard from him and announced to you that God is light. And in him, there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and yet walk in darkness, we lie, and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another…

Let’s pause here for a moment. Scripture has a lot of cause-and-effect to it. I find it helpful to start at the end, looking at the outcome or effect, and then trace it back to understand the pathway or process leading to that result.

“We have fellowship with one another” is the end result mentioned. To understand this, I need to look at the preceding statement: “But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light.” Here lies my pathway: walking in the light as God does leads to fellowship with one another.

Moving further back, I encounter a contrast: “But if we walk in the light, If we say that we have fellowship with Him and [yet] walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” This reveals the consequence of claiming fellowship with God while living in darkness.

But what does it mean to “walk in the darkness”? The passage clarifies that in God, “there is no darkness at all.” Therefore, claiming fellowship with God while walking in darkness is a lie because God embodies light. How can I claim fellowship with Him if my life reflects darkness instead of light? I need to understand what this verse is saying “darkness” really is. How can I discern whether I am walking in the light or in darkness? 

(stay tuned for Part 2).

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The opinions in this article are specific to its author, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the entire Counter Culture Mom team. 

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“No pain, no gain,” as the old saying goes. But what about when there seems like there’s a lot of pain—but no gain? Meet Jenna, an ordinary single mom, who had an extraordinary experience from “graveyard to garden” in the midst of a traumatic life collapse. In the span of a few weeks, she lost her husband, a close family member, her house, her job, and her dreams for the future. Jenna had reached the end of herself and had nothing left but a desperate plea for help, knowing that without supernatural intervention, she wouldn’t survive.

Jenna had a spiritual encounter in which she learned how the graveyard of all that had died in her life could in fact be the rich soil of a garden in which a new future could be grown.

Jenna is a versatile, forward-thinking strategist with extensive experience in education, writing, ministry, and coaching who desires to help the overwhelmed parent, educator, or writer desiring creative alternatives to “one-size-fits-all” parenting, education, and publishing.

 If you long for more but feel stuck settling for less, join Jenna on the journey to find God’s way through. Visit her website for more information!

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