"Somebody try to find a flashlight," I hollered out from the back room. The power had gone out suddenly during the storm, plunging the group of us men meeting together into total darkness. Amongst the peals of thunder I could hear the various bumps and noises of the guys groping about, running into things as they attempted to orient themselves by feel. I heard a cup of water splash to the floor. A chair was knocked over. A cat screamed out in pain, presumably from getting his tail stomped. The occasional lightning flashed, briefly illuminating the house, but even the short burst of light seemed to have a detrimental effect of making the darkness even appear darker after their eyes had quickly adjusted to the light. "What a mess!" I sighed.
One of the flashes of light seemed to continue to illuminate, growing stronger and brighter all the while. The claps of thunder also gained momentum, and became like thundering horse hooves. A familiar whinny of a strong horse brought music to their ears as the reality set in.
"JC!" I cried out. " Man, is it good to see you!"
JC the superhero pulled back on the reins of His trusty steed, Whitey, a grand, majestic horse, and came to a halt in their very living room! He was holding a lamp in His right hand, bringing light to the whole house. All the guys gathered around as He dismounted. JC seemed to show up at just the right time, when a crisis was gaining steam. He would jump from the pages of His magic book and come alive into our world, as a human, to bring the perfect help at the perfect time.
The life came back into our party as men greeted JC with joy and thankfulness at His arrival. Then, one by one, we slowly noticed an eerie silence as each man realized JC was staring in one direction. We all turned our heads to discover He was staring directly at Tom.
"What?" Tom inquired. Throwing up his hands, the reason was exposed, for in his left hand he held none other than a flashlight!
"Tom," I whined. "You've had that this whole time? Really? Why didn't you turn it on and help us out? Wow." I was just shaking my head in bewilderment.
"What good is a flashlight, if you don't use it when it is needed?" JC continued. "What good is light if you don't allow it to illuminate in darkness? No one should hide their light, but instead, allow it to make a difference first, in their own lives, and second, in others around them. My words are like that, if you will be careful to really listen and apply them. Don't just merely hear them, as if they are just another noise amongst an already busy schedule. But listen intently, truly wanting the truth to take root and grow fruit in your lives."
"Owwwww!!!!!" Tom screeched out. We all thought he was referring to the truth biting into his heart and causing the proverbial pain, but then we realized the source was an actual factual firm, but not viscious, bite being applied by Whitey, who had snuck up behind Tom and bit down on his shoulder to get his attention.
"Whhhhaaat a goooffballll," Whitey guffawed, nudging Tom with his strong nose in playful banter.
We all laughed out loud at Tom's expense, some even falling to their knees as the weakness of a laughing fit took over the room. When we collected ourselves and looked up from our teared up eyes, JC and Whitey were long gone. Their disappearance corresponded with the welcome return of light to help us ride out the rest of the storm that night.