Reading through a number of blogs that I follow, I noticed a common theme running through them all: sadness that Christmas is over, a old year is about to end, and winter is upon us. The blogs all reminded us that Jesus is the light, even when we feel in darkness. All in all, they were pretty much saying, get over it and remember the better days.
I do not like darkness any more than anyone else. But I do find that my concept of darkness has changed over the years. In fact, I find that darkness can sometimes be a time of peace and quiet, a time for inner growth and enlightenment. I used to fear darkness, and believe that when one truly loves God, one no longer experiences darkness. I no longer agree.
A sermon for Christmas by Abbot Paul mentioned how the most important events in the history of Judeo/Christian religion happened in darkness: the creation of the world, the birth of Jesus, and the death of Jesus. I think that thought is worth pondering a bit.
Perhaps darkness symbolizes our state of wonder, when we gaze up at the stars and moon and look for light. Perhaps darkness is our time of gestation, when we grow and nurture our soul before taking on a new battle in life.
Darkness need not be a fearful and dreaded thing. It can mean rest.
And so, looking back over the year, dark days should not discourage us. For great things can come from darkness if we let go of our fear and wait with hope.
No comments:
Post a Comment