Seeing in the twilight!

The first view of the valley, beyond our cottage at the twilight time of the morning, often gives some surprising sights. 

I happened to notice a Kingfisher on a cable intently looking around as if, it was taking in all that is around even in the twilight. 

During the fifteen minutes it was perched on the cable, it took a 360 degree view of its surroundings. There are a few Kingfishers, who are resident in this area, where a stream and canal flow. 

What engaged my attention was its alert presence and visual scanning of its surroundings, even in the twilight. 

What is a twilight view! It is partial and incomplete when the light is dim. It is the light that makes the surroundings bright and easy to perceive. 

In a person's life time, he or she would have gone through twilight seasons, when one could not see and sense clearly due to darkness hiding the sight. The darkness can be inside of us or outside of us. 

Jesus of Nazareth while referring to the light within us, said: 'If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness'! (Matthew 6:23). 

As it is the lenten season and the Holy Week is only a week away, my thoughts have been lingering on the events preceding the trial and crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus was at the house of Martha,  Mary and Lazarus, six days before the passover (John 12: 1-8). 'Mary took a pound of very costly perfume and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair'. Judas Iscariot, one of the disciples, present on the occasion, seeing this, said: 'Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor'? The gospel writer adds a description to give us a window into the personal habit of Judas: 'Now, Judas said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it' (v6)!

The darkness of thieving habit within, because of which a sacred act of anointing of Jesus was seen through that reduced view!

What hinders our outlook is darkness within. I took time last week to visit the occasions in my life in the recent years when I felt the darkness within me hiding the light. Those seasons of darkness seemed to disturb rational thinking and forgiving attitude. It took a while to allow the light of hope and purpose to dawn on me. Now looking back, I realise how dark was the interior within,  filled with sorrow and despair! 

If the light within becomes a lamp, even in twilight one would be able to meander to find the path. The intentional look of the Kingfisher all around gave me an inspiration to find the way forward even in the twilight. The light within us is larger to show the way, than what the twilight can conceal. 

It is now eight months, since I stepped out of my full time clinical work in the hospital. I had only a twilight view of how I can engage my time fruitfully. Now, I find the light within me becoming brighter to have a better view of my calling for this season in my life !

Even if it is twilight all around, the light within us can guide us on!

M.C.Mathew( text and photo)