The Light

It was one of those warm summer nights in California’s Central Valley when we sat out on the patio sipping a refreshing drink and gazing at the stars and moon above. We noticed that we’d left the porch light on and the moths were doing what moths do, hovering around the light-bulb. Moths are funny creatures, and though there are many theories as to why the flutter around light the way they do, most scientists agree that it has to do with navigation.

You see moths naturally use the moon as their constant, to orient themselves during flight. The moon reflects the sun’s light and thereby provides a navigational tool for the moths to use for direction. But the constant is interrupted when artificial light is introduced to the moth, and due to its closeness, seems brighter than the moon above. The poor creature flutters about trying to get his bearing using a cheap imitation as his directional tool.

Unfortunately, the moth isn’t the only one with this problem.  We humans do this all the time. We are well aware that God is to be our only source, our only constant by which we guide our lives. In Hebrews 5:9 we read that Christ “became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation.” Yet how many times do we, like moths, seek an artificial constant? Wealth, status, and attempts to be ‘good enough’ can be ways we define whether we measure up as a human being. But like the moth, we are settling for something much smaller than the true directional guide in our lives. And often, just like the moth, these fake indicators will cause us to crash and burn.

So next time you hear the term, “He or she was drawn like a moth to the flame,” stop and ask yourself, what or who am I using as my constant? Am I navigating my life by the only real Light, or am I fluttering around looking for something that is only a cheap substitute.