Dear Spiritual Companions,

My oldest daughter and I were out taking a walk on the levee this morning.  It was around 5:30 A. M. so the first light was just coming up.  We passed a barge with some huge contianers for the nearby oil refinery.  I pointed them out to her.  On our way back it was much brighter and she asked me what the big containers were in the distance.  She was surprised because she had not noticed them the first time and wondered how she missed them the first time.  Maybe it was because she wasn’t awake.  I said I think it is because it was dark.  Darkness does have an effect on our perspective.  Whenever we bring what is in darkness into God’s Light we might be surprised by the way it looks.

Darkness to me is the unknown.  Maybe it is something in the future, possibly the fear of how others may react or even those hidden thoughts and feelings we carry inside.  The unknown is so often the things that are beyond our control.  We can’t do anything about them either because they haven’t happened, or we have no power to do anything.  The funniest part of this realization is what it teaches us.  When we can’t fix things or eliminate our inner turmoil that only leaves it up to others.  When we ask for help they may be able to add some insight or direction, but it still comes back to us.  The only Other left who can do anything is God.  By discovering this we now have someone to be with us.  This doesn’t mean God will fix things or change things, it means God is with us.  Lots of times that is frustrating for us because we are looking for more.  What that more generally is no more pain, no more loose ends or uncertainty.  If this were possible, and I haven’t found it to be true, this life would be sucked out of us.  There is no more adventure, no more growth and no more change.  The darkness, on the other hand, tells us to leave things alone because it will only make it worse.  It is the Lie darkness wants us to believe.

If we can be brave enough to venture into the darkness and let God be God, then we have new hope.  We have this gift because we are reminded that nothing can utterly defeat us.  Not the future, the past, illness, war , economic woes, bad deeds or thoughts, or anything else.  God is Love and Love is greater than anything we can imagine.  If we believe that, even a little bit, we can face     whatever is before us or behind us or even within us.  We now have a new perspective, a Godly one.  We don’t have to be afraid any more.  The light cannot be put out by the darkness.  It actually heals the darkness itself.  Isn’t that incredible?  By letting the darkness be what it is we can see it healed.  It doesn’t have to continue to be tormented by a God who would abandon it because it is darkness.  God forgave it on the cross and died so it could move into the light.  Our willingness to embrace our darknss brings a little more light into the world.  By facing the most challenging part of our life we may become an example or encouragement for others on how to step into God’s Light.

As my daughter learned this morning it is becoming awake to a change in perspective.  Whatever happens to us or our loved ones happens for our good.  We have trouble with this because some things in life are painful so how could they be good?  Well as we embrace the pain and bring it into the light we meet God.  When this happens what God does is change our perspective.  Instead of looking outside of us we now look inside.  We see things as they are, not as others say they are.  We no longer are driven by the ups and downs of our physical lives.  Everything will end in that realm, but not in God’s Inner Realm.  Now we can see how weakness is really strength.  We are no longer caught up in not being able to change the outer, which is a reminder of our weakness.  We now are centered in God’s Love which doesn’t have to change the outer limits found in our physical realities.  Our perspective is now one where we see ourselves as endless eternal beings who are embracing a layover in this human realm.

What do you think?