[Seek] Darkness

[Advent 20]

In the introduction to the book, Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor, she talks about darkness and what darkness means to her - about the fear, the uncertainty that darkness conjures; about mothers who call their children inside when it begins to get dark; about Christianity seeing God as the light and all the bad things as darkness.

In reading these first nineteen pages, I realized that I do not fear the dark. To me, dark is just as certain, just as beautiful, and at the same time just as unknown as light. For me, fear and uncertainty lie in the shadowy gray areas in between. 

Darkness allows us clarity and reveals things we might not have otherwise seen. In the darkness of night, stars and planets decorate the sky. They're there in the light of day as well, but are obscured by the light. Often darkness comes with stillness - with quiet and peace and time to reflect. With the ability to simply exist, without the expectations that come in the daylight. 

Often, in our toughest times we are able to see beauty we somehow missed or took for granted when all was well in our world - the love and care of friends and family, the blessing of a pain-free day, how wonderful it is to be able to hug and kiss people we love. When we go through difficult things, we see the mundane, the normal, with new appreciation. 

The gray areas - the areas of shadow and uncertainty - are what tend to frighten me. But even though doubt and fear can take up residence there, hope and beauty can, too. Sunrises and sunsets soothe my soul. The radiant dawn of a new day, fresh with possibilities or a variegated gloaming laying to rest of a day well spent - or even a day better forgotten. 

When darkness falls, the adventure begins. Go into the darkness in search of the stars, the milky way, celestial bodies, fireflies, the majestic hoot of an owl, the silhouette of a bat in flight. When tough times hit, the adventure begins. Go into the difficulties in search of hope, of love, of what really matters; find joy in the little things; see beauty in what was obscured during the good times.

When experiencing darkness, fear not. Don't be unafraid because dawn is coming, but rather don't be afraid because God and goodness and beauty and hope are alive in the dark, as well.