Bumps in the dark

When I try to be funny, I rarely have much success, but unintentional slapstick routines come more naturally. When my daughter wakes and cries in the night, I find my way out of bed and over to the door by bouncing off the sharp corners of furniture and and tripping over laundry baskets, oof-ing and groaning as I go. My partner asks the obvious question: ‘Why don’t you just turn a light on?’ But somehow my half-asleep brain always believes it easier to stumble through the dark than reach out for a lamp.

My slowness to turn to Scripture in fuzzy-headed moments is a similarly false economy. It is a marvel that this collection of ancient texts, written out of experiences so different to our own, still speaks powerfully and practically into our world of smartphones and internet shopping, budget flights and brain surgery.

In the Bible I keep at my bedside, I have a light far brighter than the little lamp that sits next to it, able to illuminate a path through the  unexpected obstacles and sharp corners of my life. Every time I try to stumble my way them through alone, I come out bruised and a little embarrassed, determining to come to my senses and just turn the light on next time.

Ever-living God, thank you that nothing surprises you, and no situation is too tricky for you. Please help me to see how your word can light a way for me through everything I face, showing me how to walk with integrity and kindness. Amen.