Depth Perception

First semesters are usually more interesting than second semesters. I guess it's because we are still hot off of the vacation and we have been out of school far too long to remember anything about it so all things seem new. A new school year brings to light some things. I would assume so because it starts in the fall, where there are more daylight hours than in the winter, when the sun sets earlier. But of course, that's northern thinking.

It didn't take very long for a story to come my way. On Monday, all of the cars seemed to be going in the same direction as I was. I got stuck in traffic for the first time since the summer and it was terrible. What made it bad was not that I was sitting in traffic for nearly half an hour (the route is usually 5 minutes) but the night before, I was slaving over some Auditing homework so that the teacher wouldn't curse us (well me, since I've been accused by some teachers of being cheeky). Time inched on faster than the car as I checked my gas meter; the amber light burning, telling me to get ready to stop. I knew I should have gotten gas when I had just left home but I was almost early for the class.

And so I inched closer and closer to the gas station, regretting my every turn. I finally made it to the gas station, already late, maybe even too late to answer any of the questions I had done. "Got to go to another station," the attendant called out. My head dropped as I could only hope to make it to another gas station. I turned the key...nothing. I turned again...nothing. "Not now man!"

The gas attendants all looked at me and asked me what was wrong. Besides the fact that the car was not starting I thought it was a battery problem. To cut a long story short (I wanted to say something else) I did need a battery but I also needed gas and there was gas at the gas station but it was running slowly.

Running slowly...(I do apologize for the sudden jolt of philosophy).

As I look over all the things that have happened so far this semester I feel like I've been going to school pretty long already. It is amazing that the week goes by so quickly yet the weeks slowly pass and each day travels at 60 minutes per hour. September seems so two months ago! As I was driving home this week (with my new battery) a few things flew through the window and into my head.

Light is pretty amazing. It helps you to see; it protects, guides and enhances. Without light there would be no colour! The pretty amazing quality about light is depth perception. Without light, we wouldn't know how far things are!

I toured Harrison's Cave during the summer and during the tour the lights were turned off to show what the discoverers saw. A lightbulb in my head came on and I held my hand up to my face and slowly began to bring it to my nose until I could see it. Twice I did this and twice I hit myself in my face. I would have had more success licking my nose in the daylight than seeing my hand in that cave. The first time was funny, but the second time was scary because I couldn't even tell when my hand was coming. I knew I held it up and I knew it hit me.

It's the same thing with life. A man who walks by day does not stumble because he walks by this world's light. It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light. (John 11:10) In life, many people wonder why they are here. Maybe few iPods have enough memory space to store all the songs that reflect uncertainty, purposelessness and confusion. Why's that? If we have grown smarter, if we are more evolved than apes why are apes scratching their butts and we scratching our heads? Could it be that we actually don't know what we are doing?

We know one thing is certain, we all die. There is an end to a human's life but he/she doesn't know when it's coming - like my hand to my nose. That was a cool observation in the cave, but in life we don't know whose hand is coming or even if it is a hand at all. Then how do we prepare? It's not that important to know when we are going to die but it is important to know what to do while we are alive. If there is a destination that must be reached, how do we know if we have made it or how far are we to go? And this is why it is important to live in the light. (John 3:19-21)

Walk while you have the light, before the darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light.