When we encounter darkness...

"Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you." 
​~ 2 Thessalonians 3: 16

At some point we all encounter darkness.  Even the sundial encounters cloudy skies, and sleeps while the moon crosses it's path.  Our encounters with darkness are marks in our life that some of us find hard to face.

Even God reached a point where the words, "Let there be light!" were declared.

Darkness is something we avoid.  Like death, we don't discuss these moments.  The death of Christ.  The days in the tomb.  The darkness of the sky.  The darkness in our humanness, filled with uncertainty.  But then, the stone is rolled away.  Christ emerges.  Although scarred and marked by the journey, we declare, "He is Risen!"

One of the things that I struggle with is helping others understand their own mortality.  I have moments in my life when I sit and try to remember the faces, the names, and those that I have journeyed with in the final chapter of their life.  Often I can remember a story, laughter, tears, or the words to a final prayer that I prayed with the person.

The times that we live in now seem to create a new understanding of our mortality.  For some, this pandemic is creating a desire to take a different path.  In Christ, the resurrection meets the earthly journey, and all darkness is gone.  No more pain.  No more sadness.  No more... no more...

I feel like the world seems heavy lately, while encountering darkness everywhere.  Even the good guys that used to wear white hats seem to have turned dark.  The things that I knew were right, seem to be lost in problems and principalities.  Even friends that were once close, seem to be distant.

The struggle is not the darkness, but remembering that the darkness cannot overcome the true light that lies within each of us.  It seems that hope has been lost, but then, I remember...  Even the smallest flicker of a candle cannot be overcome by the darkest of rooms.  

Although I seem to be embracing this time of reflection as something a bit dark, it is certainly shining light within and I still believe that there will be sunny days, where I won't just count the moments of happiness, but I shall remember the moments when darkness tried to overcome and failed.

Let there be light!

Stay in God's grip!

​G. Todd Williams (c) 2020