Toward the Light

I saw a light across the way.

It did not shout for my attention.
It simply shone—
steady,
beautiful,
warm.

Something deep within me recognized it.
My soul remembered
what my mind had almost forgotten.

The light drew me,
and I began to walk.

Each step carried hope,
yet the journey was not easy.

Stones bruised my feet.
Thorns caught my clothes.
Walls rose before me.
I climbed.
I stumbled.
I crawled.

Still,
the light remained.

Then another path appeared.

It sparkled with promises,
whispering,
“Just for a moment…
this way is easier.”

Its beauty dazzled my eyes.
Its pleasures awakened every hungry part of me.

So I turned.

At first,
the road felt effortless.
Soft beneath my feet.
Exciting.
Alive.

But with every step,
the brightness faded.

Shadows gathered.

The warmth disappeared.

The voices that had welcomed me
became strangers in the dark.

Fear wrapped itself around my heart.

“What have I done?”

“Why did I leave the light?”

The path I had chosen
had promised freedom,
yet somehow
I found myself captive.

I cried into the darkness,

“Who will rescue me?”

Only silence answered.

Then,
far behind me,
I saw it.

Not the blazing light I had first admired,
but a single glimmer
breaking through the darkness.

It seemed to know my name.

With trembling steps,
I turned.

Every step back felt heavier than the last,
yet with every step,
the light grew stronger.

Something awakened inside me.

Not shame.

Not fear.

Peace.

A peace I had never found chasing the glitter of the world.

The closer I came,
the more I realized…

The light had never moved.

I had.

And still,
it waited.

Not with condemnation,
but with open arms.

The battle within me had not vanished.
The pull toward darker roads still lingered.

Yet another Voice had become stronger.

The voice of grace.

The voice of mercy.

The voice of the One
who had been calling my name all along.

And I understood at last—

The One who calls me
is also the One who carries me home.

“Who will rescue me from this body of death?”

Thanks be to God,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.