The Light is On!
Living in the big city of Munford, Alabama, population in 1978 was roughly 700, was a joy! Many teens would be bored in a small town like this but to me it was home.
My home was on a stretch of the county road that was pretty dark at night, so it was not uncommon for the porch lights to be on for people to see how to get to your home. In fact, that was sometimes the last thing to be turned off in a home in the evening. It was kind of a sign that “all is well”!
It was the light that was left on, when you were out with friends, a light that was on when you expected company. It was the light that was on during the Halloween times for tricks or treats.
It was the light that was “blinked” when it was time to come in from your date. The light that was on when there was trouble in the early morning.
I remember when I left for college in the spring of 79, Mom and Dad dropped me off at Freed-Hardeman, 300 miles away. The last thing Mom would say is, “When you come home, we will leave the porch light on”!
I never knew how much that meant to me until the first time I went home. The 6 hour drive put me home around 1am. Driving down that stretch of road was darker than I remember, but when I came around the curve, I saw what I had been waiting for! The light on the porch was on!
It meant they were waiting on me, they knew I was coming home!
What was exciting, though was when I turned into my driveway, I saw two shadows moving in the room. Before I was out of my car, Mom and Dad were out the back door coming to welcome me home! You see, while they left the light on for me, they were waiting to see the light from my car showing that I had come home!
They knew my light!
I believe that this must have been similar to the story of the prodigal son, Luke 15.
The young man left to a dark world, but he never forgot where home was.
He made a choice to go back home to the light.
The father saw the son from a distance away. He saw the light of his son.
He didn’t wait for him to come into the house, he ran out to meet him.
The father left the LIGHT on for the son to come home!
I’m so glad THE FATHER leaves the LIGHT on for us! He is waiting to see our LIGHT to welcome us HOME!
Jerry Elder 