18 The way of the righteous is like morning light
that gets brighter and brighter till it is full day.
Reflection
At least once a year, I set an alarm and get up in the dark to watch the sunrise. I resist it every time. And yet every time, I’m glad I went.
The sun doesn’t rush in. It comes quietly. Patiently. The horizon softens, shadows loosen their grip, and before you quite realize it, the whole world is changed.
That’s how transformation happens in a life with Christ. Not all at once. Not in a flash of perfection. But slowly, often slower than we’d like.
We begin with good intentions, but old habits hold on. We want to be patient, but irritation comes quickly. We mean to forgive, but resentment lingers. We try to love, but only on our terms. The darkness doesn’t suddenly disappear just because we’ve chosen the light.
But the darkness doesn’t win, either!
Because something is happening beneath the surface. The Spirit keeps working—quietly, persistently—stretching our capacity for grace, loosening what we cling to, widening our vision beyond ourselves.
The change is gradual enough that we might miss it. Until one day, we notice: we didn’t react the way we used to. We made space where we once would have shut down. We stayed present instead of pulling back.
The light is growing.
You can see it in others, too. Not in perfection, but in presence. You notice their steadiness, their gentleness. It’s a kind of clarity that doesn’t need to announce itself. They don’t force the light—they’ve simply learned how to live in it.
That kind of life can’t be manufactured. It can only be received, and lived into, one day at a time.
The good news is this: you don’t have to become radiant all at once.
All you have to do is turn, again and again, toward the light.
And trust that, even now, it is already dawning in you.
by Joe Monahan
For Pondering and Prayer
Where do you see the light growing in your life? Where are you still resisting it?
Prayer: Light of the world, you meet us not all at once, but gently, patiently, over time. Where we resist you, soften us. Where we are weary, steady us. Where we are dim, kindle your light within us. Teach us to turn toward you again and again, trusting that even now you are at work in us – growing something good, widening our hearts, and shaping us into people who reflect your love. Amen.
This devotional edited with the assistance of OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
