Light in the Dark

The Light That Stays
I still carry the experiences of my 2017 solo bicycle journey with a surprising amount of detail and clarity. I don’t usually dive into the spiritual side of my travels, but lately I’ve felt a pull to share the journey's deeper layers. Looking back, the physical miles were just a backdrop for a much more significant internal experience. There are moments on the road that carry a weight you just can’t measure with gears or pavement alone. I’m sharing this now because we all face seasons where the path ahead feels uncertain, and it feels right to talk about the light that eventually breaks through.

A Shelter in the Storm
It was in a small Missouri town that the sky turned dark and heavy. High winds and rain began to pick up, and weather alerts flashed across my phone. Finding a city park pavilion just as the storm broke, I leaned on the shared wisdom of the road I’d seen in a Facebook group and tipped the heavy picnic tables on their sides.
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I created a makeshift fort, a solid, low-profile barrier against what was coming. The rain that followed was unlike anything I had ever seen. The sound of it hitting the pavilion’s metal roof was deafening, a roar that made the world outside feel completely inaccessible.
​But then, through the noise of the storm, I heard "Light Up the Sky" by The Afters playing on my phone.

The Lyrics
In that small, sheltered space, the lyrics didn't just play; they made sense. I felt, with total certainty, that those words were written for exactly where I was at that moment.

"When I'm feeling all alone, / With so far to go. / The signs are nowhere on this road, / guiding me home."

The lyrics caught the reality of the journey, the vulnerability of being miles from anything familiar. When the chorus hit, it wasn't just a song anymore. It was an answer to the isolation of the road. It gave me a sudden, clear sense of peace that I wasn't out there by myself.

Isolation and Illumination
Outside the pavilion, the lightning lit up the sky. It wasn't just weather; it felt like a physical version of what the song was saying. Every flash was a moment of clarity:

"You light up the sky to show me that you are with me, and I can't deny that you are right here with me. You've opened my eyes so I can see you all around me."

The impact was immediate. The lightning wasn't something to worry about anymore; it was providing vision. For those few seconds at a time, the world wasn't a vast, empty stretch of road; it was a place where I was seen.

 The Presence That Remains
Waking up the next morning, safe and bone-dry, I realized the storm had opened my eyes to a presence on the journey that exists even when the signs are missing from the road.

I can’t deny that feeling of being seen in the middle of a dark Missouri park, sheltered by nothing but a metal roof and a few picnic tables.

The sky lit up, and I knew exactly where I was. Years later, whenever the path forward feels uncertain, those lyrics return to me. 

The Song
The video for this song explores a much deeper topic than my experience in Missouri, but the lyrics hit home for me. In 2017, they were a direct answer to the isolation of that night on the road. Today, they’re still a solid reminder that the light doesn't just pass through, it stays.

Whatever you are going through, I hope this song connects with you.
The Afters - Light Up The Sky