As humans we instinctively fear the dark and the unknown that comes with it. We often imagine monsters lurking in the shadows - watching us, waiting to attack. As children we have night-lights and soft toys to comfort and protect us against these monsters, with a graceful parent to check under the bed every now and then. Once we reach adulthood the monsters change into more realistic things to fear such as burglars or LEGO blocks on the floor, anything that could cause physical harm. Either way we still approach the dark with caution and heightened senses, ignoring the increase in heart rate as we eagerly try to turn on a light.
But sometimes there really are monsters in the dark…
We have visited five countries thus far and during our travels we have encounter many spiritual atmospheres. Something we have not considered however was the spiritual strongholds of a country and how they could affect us on our journey. They could be compared to wolves lurking in the woods, going unseen until they are ready to attack. Kosovo has three such monsters: division, pride, and witchcraft (rebellion). It was only after some strange out-of-character behaviour in our team that we noticed the external influence. These three monsters have been present in the Balkan (literally meaning ‘division’) area for many centuries and can be traced through cultural wars to as recent as 1999. How do you live among such monsters, in a country with a history covered in darkness?
Scientifically, darkness does not exist. Darkness is merely the absence of light. So the way to overcome the darkness is to add light. Even the smallest of flames can light up a dark room.
John 8:12 ‘I am the light of the world. If you follow Me, you won’t have to walk in the darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.’ We are the light and we live in the light.
This light we live in often radiates to all the aspects of our spiritual house. Some rooms are empty and the light joyfully dances on the walls. Some rooms contain glass shards of past hurts shattered on the floor that scatters the light as it passes through it and creates beautiful rainbows around the room. Other rooms have boxes stored away, that cast shadows as the light falls on them. It is in these shadows that some of our monsters may still be lurking and where the strongholds of a country can get a foot in the door. To live completely in the light we have to remove the boxes by unpacking them…even the ones we bolted shut and forgot about…
But God is light and He wants to dwell in all our rooms. So He gently asks us to open the boxes, take out the glass ornaments that we hid away and handled with care and throw it to Him, trusting that He will catch it. Often He doesn’t catch it and it shatters on the floor. But then His light comes and turns that pain into beautiful rainbows. Bringing things into the light is often painful and demands the sacrifice of letting things go but it brings the promise of freedom and life in abundance. That is the life that Jesus came to give us and is definitely worth fighting for.
So this is my journey through Kosovo: sorting through old boxes and doing some house cleaning to make sure that there are no shadows for monsters (old or new) to lurk in. As I started cleaning out boxes and throwing my ornaments to Him, He placed a few on a mantel piece for me to re-examine: the most unexpected was my childhood love for ballet. Of course God does not show us things for no reason and because it is in the light, He has free access to it. So with no surprise He asked me to start worshipping Him through dancing. With this new request I am discovering freedom in a new way and learning once again that He is in control, of everything, even my movements. I am getting to know God and glorifying Him with my body, but I have also felt a shift in the spiritual atmosphere with every movement He leads me to make. This is more than just a forgotten passion: this is a tool that I have neglected to sharpen for many years… God has engineered our lives in such a way that every skill we acquire can be used as a tool to glorify Him. Even the most common or innocent pleasure, such as a little girl taking ballet classes, can result in major spiritual shifts.
The point of my story is simply this: by bringing everything into God’s light, a little girl has the ability to fight off monsters by simply dancing…