Light of the World

There was a major power outage on Avenue of the Cities in Moline Tuesday (the Avenue is a major thoroughfare through town, for readers unfamiliar to our metroplex).

As I drove the congested street, inching along a car length at a time as vehicles ahead of me rolled in careful sequence through newly created 4-way stops, I saw numerous businesses with handmade signs pasted to storefronts informing customers of unforeseen closures.

As the paralyzed car pile progressed eastward with snail-like momentum, I also noticed how barren the Avenue seemed. Sidewalks, usually dotted with home-bound school students and other pedestrians, empty and lifeless. Restaurants, service companies, businesses small and not so small, unlit and locked-tight for the day. The more I looked, the more I noticed how little there was to notice (save the tail lights of the vehicle in front of me that somehow kept pace with my Ford’s blistering 3 mph).

Then, in the distance, light dawned. There, a quarter-mile and a hundred cars ahead of me, I saw a working stoplight, parking lot lamps burning bright, and the buzz of civilian traffic much more reflective of that piece of the afternoon. The limits of the outage’s reach neared.

Once I made it to the stoplight, traffic eased, as did my unease with the street I had just traveled. Rarely had I experienced so telling an example of the difference between the lit and the unlit, between life and no life, between energy and outage.


Ever entered a room full of lifeless people? People unhappy with, disgruntled by, or disconnected from meaning and purpose? Ever been around someone whose teeming lifelessness affected your own spirit?

If so, do you remember what it felt like to leave their presence then discover the company of a party, or at least of someone with an expression about his or her face? Do you remember how different and better it felt to be around life?

We need to be aware of what end of the Avenue our lives are on through the day. People driving by us will enjoy their journey far more if we stay connected to our power supply.

Perhaps we can adapt the motel chain’s slogan: World, in my life, I will leave the light on for you.


Pray with me:
God, the prophet Isaiah said people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Thanks for letting us be those people. Help us see and reflect the light of Jesus, however unlit appear the roads along which our lives take us. Amen.

Bill