Thankful Thursday

My current Netflix movie is Despicable Me.  I first saw this movie last summer on a beastly hot day when I couldn't stand another minute of the stifling heat of my un-air-conditioned home.  Desperate to cool off, I decided to go to a movie at a nearby multiplex cinema.

I loved the hour and a half that I spent in the blissful cool of the theater and I also loved Despicable Me!  The storyline, animation, music, and vocal talents were great.  I especially liked the subtle humor and "inside" jokes.  Almost all animated films that are marketed toward children include some comedy, either visually or in the dialogue, that sails right over the kids' heads, but has the adults smiling and chuckling.  Despicable Me was no exception.

The protagonist, Gru, has a recurring line for the big moments when he experiences a flash of inspiration -- "light bulb!"  The movie is sophisticated enough that it doesn't resort to the hackneyed Saturday morning cartoon image of an actual bulb lighting up over the character's head.  All Gru has to do is say those words -- "light bulb!" -- and we know exactly what he means and what to look for next.

Like Gru, I've had my share of inspiration, times when an idea seemingly just popped into my head.  But the light bulb moments I've been most thankful for are the ones that have dealt with the illumination of God's Word to me in Scripture.

I can't begin to count the number of times I've read a familiar Bible verse or parable and the light bulb has gone on.  It's almost as if the Holy Spirit flicks a switch that floods my eyes, mind, and heart with a pure, bright light that allows me to see for the first time the message that the Lord has given not only to the world but also, in an amazingly personal way, to me.

I have experienced these light bulb moments while listening to sermons, music, or radio ministry broadcasts, as well as in the course of reading and studying the Bible.  And each time it happens, each time that light turns on, it is an incredible feeling to realize that at that very moment God is revealing a specific truth to me, a truth that perhaps I was not ready to receive before this exact time.

I am so thankful for the light bulb moments in my spiritual life.  I am forever grateful that the Lord continues to break through the darkness of my limited understanding, graciously revealing Himself as He brings true life and true light to me!