Dark and Light

"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

-John 1:5

I have heard these words at church, over and over, my whole life. 

I'm not much of a theologian, but I know that's the promise. That the light of the world will always over power the dark, even in the hardest times.

And what I have heard a lot this past week from different situations or people or readings is about exactly that- light coming from darkness. Hope coming from despair. Joy coming from sorrow.

"God never says, you should have come yesterday;

he never says, you must come again tomorrow,

but today if you hear his voice,

today he will hear you...

He brought light out of darkness,

not out of lesser light;

he can bring thy summer out of winter,

though thou have no spring.

All occasions invite his mercies,

and all times are his seasons."

-John Donne (from a daily meditations book called "Healing After Loss").

Frankly, it is still hard for us to believe that there is light that can come out of this darkness. 

But that must be why we keep getting these reminders.

"One the light of God's own presence on the ransomed people shed,

Chasing far the gloom and terror, bright'ning all the path we tread.

One the object of our journey, one the faith that never tires,

One the earnest looking forward, one the hope our God inspires."

-Hymn: "Through the Night of Doubt and Sorrow"

We have been lucky enough to have spent a lot of time with wonderful friends and family these past 7 weeks. We know we are not alone. They have been our light. Yet, there is a raw darkness, a sorrow, that permeates through the togetherness because it is hard to imagine all the future gatherings like this- without him.

"Grief is not something to be fixed. It’s something to be borne, together. And when the time is right, there is always something that is born from it. After real grief, we are reborn as people with wider and deeper vision and greater compassion for the pain of others...Hope is a door each one must open for herself."

-Glennon Melton,  from her book "Carry On Warrior"

Since my dad died I have been a little obsessed (obviously!) with taking pictures of the sun.  It is a daily reminder that light DOES come from darkness.  Every day. 

 

And so what we need to do is remember the promise and look for the light. Every day. As hard as it may be.