I saw an interesting phrase that caught my attention the other day. The phrase was “sources of darkness”. As I thought about this phrase, I thought, “well, that’s odd – there are actually no ‘sources’ of darkness.” Darkness is an absence, and you don’t really have a “source” to an absence.

That isn’t to say that we can’t understand the metaphor of “sources of darkness”. There is much around us that seems to be a “source” of darkness: hatred, envy, lust, apathy — all of these things are the genesis points of other sins in our world. Like placing our hand over a light source – these things can bring darkness.

But I think the point is equally made in the difference in light and dark. While darkness has no true “source” as it is an absence, light does have a source as it is a presence. Light emanates, it fills, it illumines — and light has a source. Perhaps this is why the Scriptures speak of God in the metaphor of “light.” 1 John 5 says “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.”

All of our darkness is due to our shading ourselves, or others shading us, from His light. But the solution is simple. How do you get rid of darkness? You introduce light. The light causes the darkness to weaken immediately, filling its absence with light’s presence. 

There is no true “source” of darkness – but there is a source of Light. And that is our God who brings an end to the darkness, shining into our lives with the Light of Jesus Christ.