Imagine a man with two passions in life -- light and color -- losing his eyesight. Such was the case with the famous French impressionist, Claude Monet. Monet had devoted 25 years of his life to creating a floral paradise on his country estate in Giverny, and putting onto canvas his impressions of the beauty around him. Then, when he was in his sixties, cataracts began to form on his eyes, and his vision began to fail. Monet continued to paint, but his paintings grew darker, and objects grew unidentifiable. Within a few years he was almost totally blind, and his canvases were covered only with dark, swirling shades of red. His paintings were accurate images of his own distorted impressions, but they bore very little resemblance to reality.

In 1923, at the age of 83, Monet, somewhat fearfully, agreed to allow a physician to perform cataract surgery on his eyes. It was a success! Moneys clear vision returned, and his paintings were filled once again with what he loved most -- dazzling splashes of light and color inspired by his gardens. Following his surgery, Monet spent the last three years of his life completing what is now considered to be his crowning achievement, the water lily collection.

Every one of us begins life basking in God's light. But as sin distorts and clouds our spiritual vision, darkness prevails. Spiritual darkness results in guilt, depression, confusion and, ultimately, death. Monet could have chosen to do nothing about his blindness and to surrender to darkness . . . but he yearned to return to the light. Surrender to darkness or return to the light -- it's the same choice we face, spiritually, when we consider God's gracious offer to bring us out of darkness and into His glorious light.

Here are two scriptures that go along with these thoughts: I Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Acts 26:15-18 And I [Paul] said, "Who are Thou, Lord?" And the Lord said, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But arise, and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; delivering you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me."

In the end the choice is yours, it's the same choice we all have to make. The passage in Peter reminds us that we have been called out, but if we allow sin to conquer our lives then darkness is where we will remain. The Lord wants to takes us out of darkness and into His light and so the choice is ours to make. Many choose to do nothing about their blindness and surrender to darkness, what will you choose to do? Eric