Walking in the light

Yesterday, on one of our regular lunch-time walks, Sue and I saw a fogbow. A fogbow is like a rainbow but caused by the sun shining on fog. It was very beautiful. It wasn’t coloured, like a rainbow, but white all over. Apparently, fogbows are quite uncommon.

On our walks along our local hills, we quite often see rainbows. But a fogbow! And on one occasion, at night, we saw a moonbow. Isn’t light wonderful! And so inexplicable!

I’m no scientist, but I am interested in what scientists have to say about light. And I don’t think that I have found anyone who really knows what light is. Why should anything emit light? How is it related to time? Of course, as we go about our daily business, we take it for granted. But, as I’ve thought about the fogbow and looked at my photo of it (I was glad it came out so well), I began to think about John’s statement, ‘God is light’.

Light is beautiful and in it, things appear beautiful. Light makes rainbows, fogbows and moonbows. In the light, the colours of autumn look amazing. I have vivid memories of stunning sunrises and sunsets, of the strange greenish glow of the northern lights, and the night sky – such myriads of stars and galaxies!  Their light a thing of wonder. I remember our son, then still only a boy, during a walk on a murky day, saying how he loved all the muted tones.

When we walk in the light of the presence of God, like light, He is beyond our understanding, but, whatever our personal circumstances, everything begins to take on a beauty. Like light, our heavenly Father is wonderful. He’s inexplicable, and He makes even the most ordinary of things beautiful.

A walk on a foggy day? Not that appealing, really. But then the sun shone; we saw a fogbow and the everything became beautiful. It was the light that did it.