AND THEN THERE WAS LIGHT…IN THE EAST

I am not a big fan of loadshedding! Face it! Who is? But loadshedding gives us the opportunity to brace ourselves for the moment of cold, dark truth, unlike a power failure. I saw a joke the other day asking what the meaning of LOL is. In South Africa it means Lots Of Loadshedding. I laughed out loud. But being without electricity for almost seven days, is not a laughing matter at all.

While trying to practice what I preach, I desperately started searching for the light at the end of the tunnel – to keep myself sane and my housemates alive. I take my hat (beanie) off for our grandparents and great-, great-grandparents who lived in the stone ages without electricity and non-existing technology.

Feeling around for the torch last Saturday night, I took out the uncharged batteries and decided to focus on the positive (pole) and NOT the negative.

The lessons I learned in my ordeal are portrayed in the following:

THE 10 COMMANDMENTS OF DARKNESS:

1. Always be ready. Be prepared for unforeseen circumstances. Batteries and torches need to be charged in times when we have electricity, otherwise we will be left in the dark. It reminded me of the 10 virgins in Matthew 25: 1- 13. Those who were prepared, who had extra oil to their availability when they ran out, was welcomed at the wedding feast when the bridegroom arrived. The unprepared had to go and panic buy. Because of this, they missed out on the feast completely.

2. Know who will be there for you in your darkest hour. When tragedy strikes, who will be there in your time of need? I realized who will always be there for me, not only in happy hours, but also in the darkest hours. Get to know those who live 20 metres away from you. Befriend them and keep them close, because they will be your “go to” in times of desperate need – your helping hand.

3. Either go off grid, or buy a generator. Install LED lights and buy camping essentials. The bright side is that a 7-day camping trip has been organized as a surprise. I had an extra week to my 3-week leave period per year and I have tried out a few camping recipes. My neighbor and friend, owning a generator, was not only charging our appliances (laptops, phones and torches), but energized our souls as well. We had coffee and great company while waiting for our lives to have a little taste of normal. I even had the privilege of washing and styling my hair. Walking out of her door, made me feel like a brand-new person. And at this exact moment, stepping outside into the winter-cold, I learned another lesson as I looked up at the night sky.

4. Be the light in someone’s darkness. As I stared at the starry night, I saw the Southern Cross clearly between all the other shining stars. If the stars can shine, so can you. This is your opportunity to shine at your brightest, in the midst of someone’s darkness, sadness and hopelessness. We were destined to shine. Matt 5: 14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

5. Have a boma in your garden. Sit around the fire and share. Share stories. Share highs and lows. Let the flames warm your body and bring warmth to your heart. As you see the sparks fly, may they remind you of the firefly. Fireflies teach us that even the smallest light can shine in a dark forest. They do not fly alone. Their glowing together brings so much joy and light to the observer.

6. Reserve some time for candle-lit dinners with friends and family. Our card games brought us so much fun and laughter. It must have been heard above the humming sound of the surrounding generators.

7. The absence of light stimulates sight and things that matter become clearly visible. It is not your phone, social media, wi-fi, or the TV that will uplift you. It is the reading of the Bible (your hands turning real pages), the smile on your sons’ faces, coffee from a whistling kettle on a small gas stove, the warmth of the dog on your lap, the socks from a caring friend that keep us warm and alive. It is that sweet smell of marshmallows on a stick over the fire, medium-well steaks prepared on bushveld-wood coals and toasted ‘braaibroodjies’.

8. One candle can drive out darkness and can enlighten you. My early bird son studies in the early hours of the morning, before he goes off to work. During the past few days, his bedroom door was the indication of restored electricity or another day of primitive living. If light was shining through underneath the door, a warm bath would be welcoming the day. If not, my snooze button was pressed.

9. Keep your doors closed (including fridge doors), but not your heart. Keep the heat inside the house, the cold inside the freezer, but open your heart by giving. Give out blankets, food, time and love to the less fortunate. Experience the value of empathy firsthand.

10. Be thankful and be patient. Be grateful for the grace and mercy of God and count all the blessings while you wait. Appreciate the small things that make life worth living. This too shall pass.

Whether you are a torch, a spotlight, a flashlight, a neon light or a chandelier, BE THE LIGHT in the dark world.

“God doesn’t need more shooting stars. He needs more lighthouses” Christine Caine