There we all were, getting ready for Christmas, taking pictures of kids in plaid, setting them up so that they looked like they were reading Charles Dickens, mentally preparing to start panicking about last minute gifts and missing mailing addresses. You know, traditions. All things were going well on the Wittman Homestead.
And then the week hit in full force. Teething issues, health issues, behavioral issues, scheduling issues, lack of sleep, lack of sanity. To top the week off...the kitchen light went out. I did a lot of baking in the dark.
Baking...ahh, the joy of baking.
Pure joy, goodness, meditation, therapy...only, now I couldn't see anything. This took my scatter-brained tendencies to a whole new level. I couldn't find anything, I couldn't think straight. Suddenly, the world was cold. My world. My carefully tucked away world in my cozy little brick home...was dark, empty, dismal, cold. And did I mention cold?
I started re-evaluating my life. I got a haircut. I planned out an entire winter wardrobe of sweatpants and hooded sweatshirts. It's fine. It's normal, I said to myself. I kept baking. I turned on worship music. I pressed on, but it was pretty darn miserable.
The thing about light is that it's pretty important. It affects your mood, your energy, your perspective. You start to forget things. Important things. Things like French conjugations, to set the oven timer, or to feed your children dinner.
The lights are on now- VERY BRIGHT LIGHTS. My world is back on its axis. We ate all the blueberry coffee cake. There are a few sticky buns left. It was a rough week.
Looking back, the kitchen light was only actually out for two days. But spiritually, my kitchen light was off all week. Do you know what I mean? I didn't realize it was spiritual warfare until the lights kicked back on. And then I thought, "Oh! That's it!" And it seemed so obvious. Light flooded my horizon, even after nightfall.
Is your kitchen light off? Are you even aware that it is not just an electrical issue, but a metaphor? I wasn't. I am now. It might have helped to notice the difference, though. I might have worked harder at pushing back that darkness. I might have assaulted it.
I just thought I'd ask in case you are having a lights-off week. A trip to Lowe's might help. A lot of prayer, worship, and scripture might make all the difference in the world.
Sincerely,
Natasha
