Creation Day 4

"Then God said, "Let there be lights in the sky to separate day from night. These lights will be used for signs, seasons, days, and years. They will be in the sky to give light to the earth." And it happened.

So God made the two large lights. He made the brighter light to rule the day and made the smaller light to rule the night. He also made the stars. God put all these in the sky to shine on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. God saw that all these things were good. Evening passed, and morning came. This was the fourth day."  (Genesis 1:14-19 - NCV)

According to Strong's Concordance, the word translated "lights" figuratively means cheerfulness.  As I seek to understand how this story might apply to my life today, I LOVE the idea of God creating spots of cheerfulness to "rule" our days and nights!  These lights were put in the "sky" - that boundary that can symbolize a boundary between negative and positive emotions (see previous post about day 2) - to shine on the earth (that firm foundation discovered on day 2 as a result of dealing with our "negative" emotions). 

It always interests me when I come across a word whose meaning in the original language is quite different than what I expect.  This time, it's the word translated "seasons". The created lights are to be used for signs, seasons, days, and years (emphasis mine). When I think of season, I think of summer, fall, winter, & spring - the four seasons.  But this is not really the focus of the original word, though our four seasons could certainly fit within the definition.  The original word means an "appointment". It is applied to meetings (including the people there and the place they meet), and to festivals - especially those commemorating a specific event - like celebrating an anniversary of it.  It can even mean a preplanned signal.

These lights, these spots of cheerfulness, were to RULE over the day and over the night, to separate the light (word has a wide variety of figurative meanings, including happiness) from the darkness (word includes the ideas of misery, sorrow, and ignorance), and to serve as reminders of appointments, anniversaries of important events, and the recurring cycle of time (days & years). 

As I ponder all these things, thoughts begin to come:

• Do I allow spots of cheerfulness to rule my days and nights?  Or am I more likely to allow spots of doom and gloom to do so?  What is the focus of my attention?  Father, I DO want to focus my attention on those things of "good report" (Phil 4:8), on those spots of cheerfulness. I DO want to allow THEM to rule my day as you intended.  Thank you, Father!
• While the moon and stars are not as luminous as the sun, and the night can seem very dark at times, there are always these lights, these spots of cheerfulness, if I am willing to look for them.  If a cloud is covering them, I can be patient until it passes and allows me to see them once again.
• These lights were to "separate" (or distinguish) the light from the darkness.  Once again I see an emphasis on separating negative and positive emotions and am reminded of what I saw with regard to the 2nd day of creation.  I realize that in my own experience, at times it is far too easy to allow negative emotions to cloud everything and becoming all-consuming, but that is not meant to be.  There are always "spots of cheerfulness" designed to remind me that all is not doom and gloom. They are to separate out those dark nights of the soul, from the full light of day and the happiness it can bring.  They can serve to remind me that no matter how dark things seem, the morning is coming when I can experience happiness in the full light of day.  
• I think about some of the spots of cheerfulness I've experienced recently as the new creation in me is unfolding. One night in particular comes to mind. I needed to do something that I REALLY didn't want to do.  I was feeling out of sorts and the thought of putting myself out there and interacting with people the way I knew I needed to do was really challenging.  I didn't want to do it, but I prayed about it and felt pretty clearly that I needed to get out there regardless of how I was feeling.  I prayed for energy and a more positive outlook as I stepped forward to what I was being called to do.  Long story short, as I did so, God spoke through those I interacted with, lifting my spirits in an amazing way, and I am still feeling the effects several days later.  Those very interactions I was wanting to avoid turned out to be those spots of cheerfulness God was sending to keep the "night" of my emotions from overwhelming me!
• I think about how these lights were meant to be signs.  This reminds me to make better note of those spots of happy cheerfulness in my days, and to ask what God is indicating through them.  If they are meant to serve as guidance, I don't want to miss it!  This also remind me that God's will is designed to bring happiness. "For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for well-being, and not for calamity, in order to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11-12 ISV)
• I think of how these lights were for "seasons" or appointments, and this reminds me of the verse I've been holding to for some weeks now "Seven times each day I stop and shout praises for the way you keep everything running right." (Psalms 119:164 - The Message Bible)  These spots of cheeriness can remind me that God is indeed in control and can serve as a reminder of the need to stop and praise God  - to keep that appointment, if you will.
• And I think about how these lights were "for days and for years".  This is not just short-term, but long-term as well.  The light I receive today not only illuminates my current experience, but will continue to illuminate things for me as days become years.  As they light the "earth", that firm foundation God is creating in my experience, I better understand any seemingly negative experiences as they are illuminated by God's light of love (see day 2).  This not only helps lift my spirits in the moment, but gives me experience that better grounds me in God's love and serves as an important reminder for the future when things look dark.

Father, thank you for your light! Thank you for the happiness you bring! Thank you for increased understanding of the path ahead as you light my way.  Thank you that your plans ARE for my well being!  Thank you for the joy you put in me!  I DO praise you for the way you keep everything running right.  I am so encouraged by the way you've brought me to understand my next steps and keep unfolding your plan for me.  Father, it is so exciting to be a part of this new venture!  Thank you for those lights that have allowed me to begin to experience the excitement, rather than just fear.  Your light really HAS separated that light (enthusiasm and excitement) from the darkness (fear).  Where once all I saw was fear, I now see so much good!  Thank you, Father!  Thank you for your continued guidance this day as I step forward into my tasks for this day. I am SO grateful for it!  Truly you are "my light" and the "strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalms 27:1) Thank you, Father.  It is so amazing the way you cast out my fear! (I John 4:18) I am SO grateful! Amen.