“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
— John 1:5
Mei Ling flicked off the light and took a running leap into bed. Outside, the November wind blew around the corner of the house. A wavering light filled the room. Eerie sounds sent shivers through her whole body.
Shadows danced on the walls, growing long in corners and melting down into the stairway outside her door. Feeling scared and alone, Mei Ling huddled under the blankets.
Minutes later, her dad came into her room to say good-night. He gently pulled the blankets off her head. “Something wrong, Mei Ling? Can I help?”
Afraid to admit her fear of the dark, she shook her head. But Dad guessed. “Are you afraid of the wind and the dark?”
This time, Mei Ling nodded.
“All of us have times when we’re afraid,” Dad told her. “What counts is what we do about it — like choosing to face the reason, for instance.”
Going over to the door, he flicked the light switch. The bright light reached into the corners, and every shadow melted. As Mei Ling looked around the room, her fear vanished.
“Now watch.” Dad turned off the light and went to the window. “I can close the blinds if you want.” When he did, the room became dark with no dancing shadows. “But there’s something we’re missing.”
When Mei Ling joined him at the window, Dad pulled the blinds back up. Bare branches, stripped of leaves, moved back and forth — first blocking the streetlight, then letting the light shine through. As Mei Ling watched, the light kept changing. Now she understood the sound she heard — branches tapping against the side of the house.
“What happened when I opened the blinds again?” Dad asked.
“I saw what made me afraid. The branches moving back and forth. Touching the side of the house.”
“Are you afraid now?”
Mei Ling shook her head. “I know what the shadows are. I don’t have any reason to be afraid.”
Dad smiled. “And what do you see instead?”
“The wildness of the November wind.”
Dad smiled and picked up the Bible next to her bed. “Let’s read Psalm 121 tonight.” Once more he turned on the light.
Mei Ling began reading. Her voice grew stronger when she reached the third and fourth verses. “He who watches over you won’t get tired. In fact, he who watches over Israel won’t get tired or go to sleep.”
When Dad turned off the light and left, Mei Ling snuggled down under the blankets. This time she pulled them only as high as her shoulders. It’s not so bad when I face things, she thought.
Drowsiness settled around her as she repeated the verses from Psalm 121 that meant the most to her. Then she turned the words into a prayer. He who watches over me won’t get tired. He won’t get tired or go to sleep.
Moments later, Mei Ling fell asleep.
More to Explore: Isaiah 43:1 – 3
Girl Talk: What makes you afraid? Try to remember when these things started making you scared and why.
God Talk: “Jesus, thank you that you are with me always, even when I am afraid. Help me remember to turn to you when I get scared. Amen.”
From Girl Talk by Lois Walfrid Johnson