God Is Light

1 John 1:5 "Now this is the message that we have heard from him and proclaim to you:  God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all".

Light.  What does John mean, by calling God light?  It seems to me that certain elements of creation are not merely analogies of our Father, but bear His fingerprints, reveal something profound about Himself.  Chief among those elements are water and light.  So what of light?  Light reveals.  Light is energy, power.  Light allows things to grow. Darkness is the absence of light, just as sin is the absence of God in our lives. 

St. Augustine had this to say about God as light: "And happily we shall be near to it, if we get to know what light is, and apply ourselves unto it, that by it we may be enlightened; because in ourselves we are darkness, and only when enlightened by it can we become light... what is it to be enlightened by it?  He that now sees himself to be darkened by sins, and desires to be enlightened by it, draws near to it."  He quotes the psalm "Draw near unto Him, and be enlightened, and your faces shall not be ashamed."

It's like we are the moon, and God is the sun. We are a dead hunk of rock, lifeless, incapable of producing light for ourselves. But our nature is capable of this... reflecting the light of the sun. We are able to provide light to a world in darkness by REFLECTING GOD'S LIGHT to others. Just as the moon provides light to earth.

This is probably a silly analogy, but what comes to mind reading this passage is when I am in a dressing room, under the harsh neon lights, without clothes.  It is UGLY.  Everything that I can normally hide with a decent pair of pants or a well-hanging shirt is staring back at me from the mirror.  Every bulge, every stretch mark, becomes hideously, abundantly clear.  And it is me, fully revealed.  Unhidden.  Clear.  "Just as my mama made me", so to speak.  It's not a view I spend a whole lot of time pondering, because it is not pleasant to me.  But some day, I am going to stand before the light of my Father, and see myself as He sees me, without facades.  That's intimidating!  We spend our lives creating fronts, crafting ourselves, our looks, what the world sees, to HIDE what's inside!  And yet, when my time comes, I will come face to face with my Father, and see myself and He sees me. 

“It is when we notice the dirt that God is most present in us; it is the very sign of His presence.”
― C.S. Lewis
But, according to what John and St. Augustine say, it's only when we see ourselves as we REALLY are - as sinners, imperfect - that the full realization of God's love can become apparent.  Somebody knows ALL ABOUT YOU, warts and all, imperfections, insecurities, selfish nature and all.... and loved you so incredibly much that He died for YOU.    Only by realizing and accepting that tremendous love can you even begin to perceive your own beauty and value in the eyes of God.  You are loved.  I am LOVED. 

Wow.