jogging in the dark By Chaplain (Major) David Trogdon   Find out more about Free Will Baptist chaplains at www.homemissions.net.

Today is a beautiful day in Iraq. We have palm trees and sandy beaches, and the fall temperatures are refreshing. Today’s high of 73 degrees is nearly 50 degrees cooler than the blistering heat of the summer when it was “stupid hot.”

Not only do we have less heat, we also have less daylight. Night falls shortly after 5 p.m. The early darkness has presented a challenge for our EOD (Every Other Day) running club, as running in the dark in Iraq can be a dangerous thing.

On several occasions, we started our run in daylight and finished well after dark. The darkness has brought a few close calls and mishaps (a fall that resulted in a broken wrist, being clipped by the side mirror on a passing Humvee, and rolling an ankle after stepping in a hole in the road).

The dangers of running in the darkness have motivated me to carry a small flashlight. It has made a big difference. With my flashlight, we can see the holes and obstacles in our path, allow approaching vehicles to see us, and as a result, arrive at our goal safely. If you ever have to run in the dark, be sure to carry a light!

Just as running in the dark is dangerous, living in the dark can be even more so. Many times in our lives, we find ourselves in the dark. Darkness may fall around us as we are forced to deal with difficult, even painful times with our families, finances, fears, failures, futures, and—at times—even our faith.

While we can’t keep darkness from falling on our lives, we can have a light to help us avoid the pitfalls and dangers, to show us the way we should live, to help us know what to do when we don’t know what to do, and to help us arrive safely at our goal.

That light is God’s Word. In His Word, God provides us with His perfect plan for troubled families, His wonderful provision for financial needs, His personal presence to help us deal with fear, His pardon and forgiveness for failures when we fall, His faithful promises to encourage and help us face the future, and His awesome power to strengthen faith.

So, if you find yourself in the dark, don’t keep going until you trip and break something, fall in a hole, or get run over! Instead, reach for the light of God’s Word and let Him shine in and through your life so you and others you care about can arrive safely at your goal.

“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path….” (Psalm 119:105).

About the Writer: Chaplain Trogdon represents Free Will Baptists through the U.S. Army. He is based in Alabama, and at the time of this writing, is serving in Iraq. Read more about the ministry of Free Will Baptist chaplains at www.homemissions.net.