Somebody dropped by my office with an offer to replace all our fluorescent lights with l.e.d. fixtures. At first I thought it might be a scam but it turned out to be a legitimate offer from a state initiative to reduce electrical demands. Since they offered to swap out the lights for free, I figured there was nothing to lose; I’d be an idiot to turn down the opportunity. Aside from being free, what made it particularly attractive is that many of the ballasts in the existing fixtures were starting to fail. Replacing them is expensive and I’d been putting it off. As a result, the light in some areas in the building, like the entryway, was dimmer than it should have been.
An added benefit was that the new fixtures came equipped with motion sensors. The building is divided up into zones and the fixtures in each zone only come on when someone is there. For example, we have a fairly extensive library which occupies several rooms. Occupation is erratic. Some rooms see use several times per day. Others might be visited a few times per month. The light switches are located half a building away, so we often had to back-track to turn the lights on. The alternative was to leave the lights on continuously, even though nobody was in the room. Now we can leave all the switches on. The various zones illuminate when someone enters. If the lights don’t detect further motion after a few minutes, they automatically turn off. It’s saved tremendously on our electric bill.
The downside to the arrangement is that a zone remains dark until you step into it. When the system was first installed, I happened to observe a co-worker’s first encounter with it. He opened a door to enter an area which we only occasionally use. In the past, the area was always illuminated as the switch is too far away to turn the lights on only as needed. He did a double-take as the situation was not what he expected. Then, he hesitantly took a step forward. It was only after he took that step into the dark that the lights came on and he could see where he needed to go.
I thought that experience was a perfect illustration of faith. So many times we are hesitant to step forward because we can’t see where we are going. Christ asks us to do something but we are reluctant to step into the unknown. We know the end or the goal of our journey but we balk because moving forward means stepping into the dark. It is only when we trust Christ to provide the guidance we need and take that first step that He illuminates the pathway. Even then, He most often does not disclose the entire route. He only gives us what we need for the moment and, perhaps, a couple of steps ahead. We have to keep on moving forward before the next phase of our journey becomes clear to us. The question is whether I am willing to take that step into the dark. If I refuse to move unless I see the entire pathway to the destination, chances are I will never begin the journey.
Why doesn’t Christ disclose the entire journey before we begin? One reason may be is that if we knew everything which will befall us on the way, it would either discourage us or immobilize us with fear. It is only as we travel the road set before us that we gain the experience and the competence to cope with what is to come.
However, I think there is another reason Christ doesn’t disclose everything to us at once. It comes back to faith. Christ has promised to always be with us. He’s promised that we will not face anything that is beyond our ability to cope. Do we trust Him? Do we have confidence that He will provide what we need, when we need it? If not, then maybe our faith isn’t as strong as we think it is?
