My daughter asked me the other day what my favorite part of church is. It didn't take me very long to answer. I enjoy the music, the greeting, and the beautiful babies that were dedicated this morning stole my heart. But, my favorite part is always when the musicians leave the platform, the children make their way downstairs to their classes, and the Pastor delivers his message for the week.

It was no different today, and I especially enjoyed it after missing the service last week. One particular part of his sermon really stood out at me. He used a story about a haunted house to illustrate his point. When he was a teenager, he used to enjoy scary things, and decided to go to this haunted house in a nearby town. As he was standing in line, he noticed how dark it was, and how everyone coming out seemed terrified. He heard screams and other scary noises. When he got inside, he really was scared.

A few months later, he was going to the movies with a group of friends. He realized that the movie theatre was right next to the haunted house. However, this time when he saw it, it was in broad daylight. It was a community building, so he went inside and he couldn't believe how ordinary it was. Just like a normal building, it had regular walls, lightswitches, etc.

What was the difference? Light. In the darkness, everything was unknown. He had no idea what was coming next. Even the ordinary seemed scary when it was enveloped in darkness. Once light appeared, it conquered the darkness, and eliminated the fear.

I began to think about my own life and the fears that I face as a Christian, and in particular, as a cyberschooler. As our children grow and face new stages in life, it can be a little scary. If our children start behaving in a way that we don't know how to deal with, or have trouble learning something and we don't understand why, or they begin to practice bad habits that we have trouble breaking, it can be frightening. We don't know what to do. We don't know why they are behaving that way. We don't know how to be a good parent at that moment. We are walking in darkness. If we try to manuever our way around in that state, we will knock things over or hurt ourselves or others. In other words, it will be destructive.

The only way to defeat darkness is to shine light. In a battle between light and darkness, light always wins. ALWAYS. Darkness CANNOT consume light. It just can't! If we could shine the light on our problem, defeat the unknown, and chase the darkness away, it wouldn't be so scary then. Wow!

Jesus is the light in the darkness. The Word promises us that if we ask for wisdom, God will give it to us. Through prayer and studying the Word, we can dispel the darkness that hides the truth and tries to prevent us from being good parents and teachers. There is no reason to be afraid, because we have the brightest light of all just waiting to shine down on us so not only can we see the path, but we can enjoy the journey as well.

Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.