Dark Adaptation

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Funny how God always speaks through the regular.

I recently had a time of contending in prayer. I kept asking God all the hard questions because I was tired of asking them to myself anyway.

In that period, I got revelation about my own state of affairs and I hope this makes sense to someone out there.

A closed-eye vision and revelation

My body was strewn on my bed but my heart and mind were elsewhere. I was suddenly in a very dark room. I could not see a thing. I asked why I was in such a space. Slowly, my eyes picked up some light and things started to get a little bit clearer. I could see vague silhouettes of what seemed like seats, dressing tables and the like.

I was led to Google what I experienced and wound up at a definition of what is called Dark Adaptation: … “Consequently, dark adaptation refers to how the eye recovers its sensitivity in the dark following exposure to bright lights.” Michael Kalloniatis and Charles Luu had done a long and accurate study on the rods and cons of the human eye and how they work together to ensure that you see as clearly as you possibly can in the dark as well as in the normal lighting conditions. We are certainly not called to be nocturnal creatures of the wild to see spot-on in the dark, but we were made to be able to endure a certain level of darkness.

Have you noticed how hard it is to see clearly in a dark room as compared to a well-lit room?

That is because the eyes struggle to adjust to the sudden change of light exposure. They take time to accommodate themselves to the low light. But they eventually do. The pure darkness eventually morphs into shapes and silhouettes. You can make your way through the room now!

The study goes on further to say that … “The shorter the duration of pre-adapting light (prior light), the more rapid the decrease in dark adaptation...” Which basically means that the more you stay in a well-lit area, the longer it will take for you to see a bit more clearly if you were to suddenly move into a dark room. Which makes a lot of sense as you will see.

Stay with me now, I am coming in hot with the revelation!

Life can symbolically be likened to a big rented house with many rooms. God is the legitimate owner of said house and we are merely tenants. We have a fixed time to stay in the house before we are called to our permanent homes which He has prepared for us. We are called to spend all of our time in this big ol’ house, moving from room to room. Some rooms are big and cozy and others are old and dusty. Others have parties inside them with plenty of food and drink to have, and others are quiet and lonely. No matter who you are, you MUST move to each room at appointed times because the owner of the house will need you out some day soon!

Sometimes we get used to the day-to-day. We adjust to the monotony of daily endeavors. We are so engrossed in them that when God suddenly shifts us to a new room, we get disoriented. Lost.

The new (read dark) rooms are almost always dark right before the lights are switched back on and the time before this is stressful. The wait is gloomy. “Where is the light switch around here?” You mumble as you fidget your way along the wall. God gives you time to fidget and antagonize for as long as you possibly can. You are in fear. You want nothing to do with the discomfort of that room. “The brighter room right before was far much better than this dark one here!” You cry out as you wander within.

And aha! How interesting it is to know that the more accustomed we are to the former function of life, the longer it takes for us to adjust to the newer, seemingly darker circumstance. The new almost always never fits our definition of good.

I have found it better to sit still in the dark rooms. Although I may fear, I still myself because I know the owner of the house, and the owner knows me. He cannot place me in a room that has snakes, scorpions and hungry lions and if He does, He prepares a way out long in advance.

In the stillness, I learn to depend on my other senses. I feel more deeply. I hear clearer. With time, God’s voice becomes crisp and my feet become quicker to move when He speaks. Eventually, my eyes can no longer see pitch-black nothingness. They see shapes. Things. I can visualize clearly. I can move more confidently around the room avoiding the sharp table corners and slippery parts of the room floor.

The best-I repeat the best part of the dark room experience is when the lights come on and you finally see the reality of the room you had been brought into! Since the dark teaches you how to navigate through the room without full sense of sight, you are even more capable of walking through the room now that the lights are on. Things no longer look threatening and impossible.

So I guess there is beauty in the dark.

And I guess there is pure strategy in the movement between the rooms.

Be faithful in the dark! Your eyes will adapt.

Do you feel like this word touched on your own life? If so, I invite you to pray this prayer below:

Dear Jesus, I pray with all my heart that today you will open my spiritual eyes . This situation feels new and scary. I admit that I am unprepared for the new. I am shaken by the discomfort of my current season and I want out.

But I know that there is nothing you do not know, including this. Although it makes no sense, I will trust that you know what you are doing-even in the dark.

My dark room experience will not last long, and I know that I will testify of your goodness in your appointed time.

Amen.