“Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.” — 1 John 2:8
Do you know that there was a time before everyone carried a mini-camera around in their pockets? We are spoiled by the instant gratification of modern cameras and cell phones because pictures used to take some serious work. We used to snap a photo with a film camera and wait for weeks before we got to see if our finger was covering the lens or if our eyes were closed.
Photographs used to be destroyed by light while being created, so a professional used to take the 35MM film into a dark room in order to transform the film into a photograph. This was called developing the film. The process took hours of labor. The developer would toil away in the darkroom with chemicals, paper, and specific equipment just to create a single tangible photograph.
Developing your print took work. It took patience.
It required focus.
It required a specific environment.
Here’s the principle: development often takes place in the darkness. The author of 1 John encourages his readers by saying that the “darkness is passing” and light is on the way. This is to assure them that all the stress and struggle is going to come to an end. I am sure that some of you feel a darkness over you, but rest assured that “the true light is already shining.” When the darkness breaks and light shines on you, wouldn’t it be amazing for it to reveal that you are better, stronger, and closer to God?
Don’t just dwell in the darkness. Develop through it.