Darkness

Have you ever heard someone say “That was a really dark time in my life” or even said it yourself?

You aren’t alone.

We’ve all been there.

Today I was thinking about scary things and darkness was something that came to mind.

Nobody likes getting left in the dark, literally or figuratively.

Then I tried to think about what the Bible says about darkness and for some reason, I always thought darkness was synonymous with evil.

I think of verses saying there is no darkness that God cannot overcome or that there is only light in Christ.

But I thought for a minute that it doesn’t just have to mean evil, in fact, that isn’t what it means at all.

If you look into the original text of 1 John 5-7, the word darkness can be defined as ignorance and obscurity.

That gave me such a beautiful clarity into my “dark” times.

I hate the unknown. I hate not knowing what is going on or being the last to know.

Obviously, that doesn’t mean I get to escape that in life.

There are so many things I don’t understand, and probably never will. And that is scary to me. But I can hold to one truth:

There is no darkness in God because He is omniscient. He knows all. There is nothing that takes him by surprise.

I saw a post about how so many beautiful things come from darkness; such as a night sky, when a seed is planted, where a baby is developed.

Darkness is where amazing and miraculous things are cultivated.

If the night sky wasn’t dark, we couldn’t see the stars in all their glory.

If a seed is dug up, it can’t grow.

The Bible says we were sitting in darkness. We didn’t know what or who God was. Then He called us into the Light and now we are to reflect that Light into the world.

When our lives take turns we didn’t see coming,

When the pain feels so deep,

When we think your dark time couldn’t get any darker,

That’s when the growth begins.

That’s when He takes us by the hand and leads us toward the light.

Oh, but don’t think it’s easy.

The devil will try to confuse you.

In the darkness it’s hard to know which voice is the one speaking truth to you.

But God’s word is a lamp to your feet and light to your path.

If you are in His word, it will show you the next step.

You may not get the whole map like we would prefer, but it will be enough to do the next right thing.

Darkness doesn’t have to be scary if you know Who the Light is that can scatter your darkness.