The Gift of Darkness to Light.
“In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present.”
Sir Frances Bacon
Do you feel encompassed by darkness?
Do you feel the weight of its might?
The light just can’t permeate, you just want to give up the fight.
You try to find your way, you crawl and use your hands.
You feel around in the darkness.
You try to stand.
You are not sure you can find your footing.
You squint your eyes to see.
That one little pinprick of light, that will guide you to luminosity.
You stand and pray.
You hope and dream that this light will come to be.
Your prayers lead you to firm footing, and you think that you just might see…
A small bit of shining as your eyes adjust to the dark, could it be?
Your spirit is bolstered, your heart starts to beat with a quick pump and a start.
You take those ginger steps towards that small source of light.
It becomes brighter and brighter as you squint with all your might.
The prayers, the tears, the heartache, the storms.
You see them start to dissipate.
As the light just comes a little brighter with each step you take.
When you have your sure footing your steps become more sure.
Dear reader, it is most certainly darkest before the dawn.
Of that you can be sure.
Don’t give up, pray, stand up in the dark.
So that when the sun begins to shine you know you made it even when times were dark.
Give thanks, feel the light, know your strength.
You can do this, you are stronger than you think.
Easter is Approaching, can you see the speck of light?
As Easter approaches, where are your thoughts? Lent may or may not have been a success, life is busy. Things happen. There may be darkness that surrounds you from every corner. But if you squint your eyes just a little bit, you can see that pinprick of light that is becoming larger as Easter is upon us. Does Easter Sunday take away all the darkness around you? Probably not. If that is true then why do we observe this holy day? We celebrate because Jesus is our light, even if it is small and we have to squint to see it. By keeping our eyes focused on him helps that darkness dissipate one day at a time. Jesus stepped into darkness for us so that when we believe all is dark. He is there, with his faithfulness and love ready to bring us to the light.
It is always darkest before the day dawneth
Today I was pondering the phrase, “It is always darkest before the day dawneth.” This phrase was uttered by theologian and historian Thomas Fuller. He uttered this phrase when he stood on Mt. Pisgah. Moses stood there before his death to see the promised land. There are times when it seems that we are in a very dark time in humanity. We have so much as compared to other places. Yet, well… we think it is too little.
Recently I read a book about places in Appalachia where there are folks who cannot read, they don’t have running water or heat. They are destitute in poverty. Right in this country. This information really caused me to convert my, “Ugh, I have to go to the store.” to “I am so blessed to be able to go to the store.” This past year in our home has been dark, there have been health issues galore with several family members, and other traumatic events as well. I found myself really feeling as if I was feeling around in the darkness with no real source of light. It was indeed a dark place. But then, in the midst of that sorrow, the light was present simply by turning my eyes to Jesus. In his light, we can see the path to a better place.
How do we find the light when all around seems so dark and cold?
In this time with the news cycle, social media, hard times, and wars raging all over the world.. It just seems quite dark, right? You often hear people equate dawn and sunrise. When in fact they are completely different. Dawn is when you can detect a little light in the sky. Sunrise is when the sun makes its first peaks over the horizon. In the dawn, the light is beginning to make its presence known, to dissipate the light of the stars and announce the sun. Even in the heavens, there are pinpricks of light.
I have shared many writings about my dark:30 walks with my husband. This morning it was early, cold, and honestly, I did not feel like doing it. What a great attitude, right? But in my move towards changing my line of thinking I stopped. I thanked God that I woke up, I could walk, and as we were coming down the driveway, I saw the first illuminations of light announcing the dawn. I pondered the disciples and Jesus’ followers wondering if Jesus would indeed rise when all around them seemed lost. God knew, as Jesus knew as well that resurrection Sunday was indeed coming! There was nothing no man, no principality could do about it. The Light was indeed coming in all of his strength and glory.
A lot of the time we have to tread in some darkness to bask in the full light of day
A lot of the time we have to tread some darkness to bask in the full light of day. What is the real point of this musing? Keep going, keep the faith, keep praying, keep that strength. Crawl, walk, stumble towards the light. When the path is clear and lit, you know you have made it. Let us pray for our world. Let us pray for those who are in the midst of harsh war. Let us pray for our country. Let us pray for each other. The Resurrection of Christ means so very much. Hope, faith, and strength when you have none to give. Forgiveness is at the forefront, Christ’s ultimate sacrifice for us. In our sin we were made righteous by him.
So many scriptures come to mind concerning light. During this week before Easter, these words come to mind. John 8:12: And Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Cpl Duane E. Dewey saw a way to the light in deep darkness
I leave you all with a quick story about Cpl Duane E Dewey. He fought during the Korean war. Earlier in the day he had been significantly injured by a grenade during an attack during the night. They were outnumbered and outgunned. Cpl. Dewey saw a grenade land in the midst of the soldiers. He told everyone to get back and he selflessly jumped on top of the grenade. He was lifted off the ground and still survived. When he was taken for treatment, they also found a gunshot wound in his stomach. He was the recipient of the first Medal of Honor ever presented by Dwight D. Eisenhower. Cpl. Dewey thought nothing of saving his whole squad in a very dark time. He remained humble and we probably won’t ever be faced with a situation as dark as this (God willing)….. But we can appreciate his bravery in climbing from deep darkness into light. Cpl Dewey would not speak often of the war or his injuries. Later in his life, he reflected that he was not deserving of the medal, but rather all of those who served around him were worthy of the medal of honor. He found the light and bravery. Keep searching for that pinprick of light.. Eventually, your path will be gloriously illuminated.
Find a place to worship Resurrection Sunday!
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