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Tales of Fantasy, Mystery and Adventure Under the Influence of Christian Homeschooling

S. A. J. Lyttek, a multiple award-winning writer, always loved writing, but didn’t arrive at the profession in the typical manner. After college and graduate school, she plunged into government consulting. In this environment, she discovered a knack for writing tests, interviews and other measurements. That soon became the focus of her career—reigniting her love for the written word. Thus captivated, she spent evenings freelancing “fun” writing including short stories, poems, articles and cards. When her eldest was a toddler, she quit full-time work to stay home and write. Eager to spend more time with her children, homeschooling intrigued her. From preschool through high school, she homeschooled both sons while continuing to freelance. While an integral part of the homeschooling community, she developed and taught writing classes to a generation of homeschoolers. Married to her childhood sweetheart, Gary, Mrs. Lyttek loves to share her commitment to learners of all ages and her fascination with the written word.



Jesus is Light

3/22/2023 2:45:00 PM BY Susan Lyttek

A quick concordance search showed almost three hundred references in the Bible to light. Most of these have to do with God’s initial creation or the ceremonies of the Temple. Either way, they allude to Jesus.

We are not light. Our one light-related ability is that we can reflect the light we receive. We are the moon or we are a mirror. Either one can be useful to reflect and direct light, but we are never the source.

Multiple songs on my playlist use the word “shine”. Some are secular and some are Christian, but the theme is the same. We need to reflect the light we receive to others.

But in contrast to the secular idea that all light is good, it matters where we receive our light from. Remember, Satan is referred to as an angel of light. That is what his other name, Lucifer, means. But the leader of demons is also called the prince of darkness. How can that be?

I think of the glitzy lights of Las Vegas or many other cities. The areas of these urban environments where you are encouraged to partake of the night life. The lights there can be beautiful, but they can also blind you to the myriad of temptations that surround you until you have succumbed to one or another. That’s the way Satan’s light works. It directs us toward darkness of the soul.

Jesus in contrast is pure light. Another verse says there is no shadow of turning within him.

In the beginning, God created. The first thing God said was “let there be light”. And he called the light ‘good’. If you remember that Jesus says there is no one good but God alone, when God calls the light ‘good’ he is saying that it is representative of him and his nature.

As I was writing this, my brain went off on a rabbit trail about the Trinity. I keep thinking that Scripture has a lot more references to the three-in-one than we often notice. I think this creation scene in Genesis is one of them. It says God is creating. It says the Spirit is hovering. If we go to the gospel of John, it says that the Word, Jesus, was there in the beginning. But how does it say that in Genesis?

Jesus is the Word. He is also the Light. So I think when God speaks and says “Let there be light” he is calling for the Son to show his role in this process in two ways. The true word is spoken and the true light is revealed. God the Trinity is in agreement about the creation of our world.

Now back to my regularly scheduled blog about Jesus as Light.

What does Light do that our Lord does?

Light reveals hidden things. Like a flashlight’s beam looking for a lost ring in a dark corner, Jesus as the light finds the souls of those who are precious to him. He also shines his light on what we hide and try to cover up forcing us to be honest about both our sin and how much we need to grow.

Light purifies and burns. As lasers being used in surgery to remove cancerous or dangerous tissue, so Jesus’ light upon us can clean us of growths and tendencies that are too attached to our core to remove safely any other way.

Light guides. In fact, several Psalms implore light to lead them to truth, to the Temple or to God’s holy hill. In Psalm 119, too, it links the two natures of Jesus again that I said Genesis 1 refers to. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Light cheers. If you don’t believe that one, think back to a time when things were really hard. Maybe you were grieving. Maybe you struggled with pain. Maybe something else. Whatever the situation, you spent most of the night praying and crying out to God. Then the sun rose. Nothing changed about your situation, but suddenly, you could close your eyes and rest in the promise of a new day.

What else can light do? A small amount of light can remove darkness. Light also beckons like the light from a home at the end of a path. Light marks time. We know by the sun, the moon and the stars what day it is and how much time has passed. Light itself is fast. If Jesus is light, and he says he is, He moves at the speed of light or faster. I think faster because he is pure light, not created light.

Light in excess can also blind. I think this is why so many refuse to believe. Without their Holy Spirit sunglasses, they only perceive Jesus as something, someone too strong to be looked at, too intense to be contemplated.

Once, I was there staring at the blinding light and seeing only pain. So I pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to work in many, giving them eyes to see he who is the true Light.