Wednesday, July 6, 2011

If you are like me...

then you probably listen to music. Even sing along with it every now and then. And if you are like me, you may not often think about the lyrics of what you are singing, what they mean, and whether or not you mean them.
However! There was one night when I was thinking about the lyrics I was singing. They were, "There may be pain in the night, but joy comes in the morning"
A variation is, "Though the sorrow may last for the night, His joy comes in the morning"

So I was thinking about this, and my first thought was, "Do I actually believe that? When I am stumbling and tripping and afraid of the dark, in the dark, do I believe and look forward to the morning, when light breaks through and warmth surrounds me once more?"
That is also my question to you. (or, I would encourage you to ask yourself that, since it is phrased in the 1st person ;P)

The following is (sort of) my thought process....

Well, do I actually believe that? Do I believe that, though the sorrow may last for what feels like a very long time, that there will be happiness again? I would like to think that I do, but do I really? To be honest, I would say yes, but that is not while I am in the middle of the night, trying to stay dry during a storm. This is not when I am trying to resist the winds and storms of this life. This is when I am in a warm house, with a comfortable chair to sit on and food and water surrounding me. What else should I want?

So lets go to a time when things were not so hunky-dory. I was confused, sad, disappointed, and wondering what had happened. I was feeling alone. I wondered what had happened, how things had progressed to where they now were. I was glad to be alone, but I so desperately wanted someone to be with, someone to hold. But there was no one to hold. No shoulder to cry on.
I wanted to see the light of dawn. I wanted to behold the joy of His truth and love. I wanted so badly to be reassured that things would turn out ok. That things would turn out good. That things would get better than they were. But, as they say, it is darkest before the dawn.

You know, I don't think that is actually true. Just before the dawn, you should be able to tell that the sun is almost up, and you should be able to see that it is crawling its way up over the horizon. No, I think it is darkest when the sun is the farthest away. When the sun is on the completely opposite side of this planet. When we may have the light of the moon to see by, if we are lucky. That is when it is darkest.
It is interesting though. When the sun is literally the furthest away...it isn't much further away than it normally is. The distance from the earth to the sun is about 93 million miles. The diameter of the earth is (does a quick internet search...), at the equator, almost 8 thousand miles (7,926.28). (At the poles it is 7,899.80 miles in diameter. How about that.) So, when the sun is shining on the other side of the earth, it is only .0086% further than it is when it is shining on 'our side' of the planet. That is a pretty small difference. (yay maths!) Interesting, I find it, how our perception of things is not always accurate.

Long story short, things did get better. I realized that I do have friends I can hug and talk to and get advice and comfort from. I was reminded that God's grace extends beyond our brokenness. I have learned so much from that experience, and I have become much stronger because of it. I now know that things do get better, even when they feel like they have become the worst they can be. I have learned that I can go on, that I can keep on keeping on with the strength that God provides me. I have learned that when we are weak, He is strong.

So, I feel like yes, I can say that I believe that even when it is the darkest night, the sun will rise again in the morning. I believe that even though things will get bad, even worse than what I can imagine, they will get better, and even better than they were before. I am convinced that God works through all things for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. I know that even though I may not know what will happen, I know it will be good. I know that God is good :) and I am so thankful for His mercy towards me.

3 comments:

  1. A very interesting question indeed. To be quite honest I don't think that I usually can say that about myself when I'm in the dark of night as you described. Sometimes yes, but more often I need someone else to point out to me all the things that I've been blessed with and give me a bigger picture mentality. It's a great thing to consider and actually spend time questioning in my life thats for sure and it shows a trend not only within my physical life, but spiritual as well. If I first look to those around me to encourage and exhort me, than I'm missing the point of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. He is the comforter and if anyone knows me its him. Not some friend or family member. Just a few scattered thoughts.

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  2. When I first read this I was really tempted to say that I see the light even when I'm in the dark...but I'm pretty sure that's not true. I know that there will be light again, but it's hard to believe light will come again. Usually the only thing I have to hold onto while in the dark is the thought that I've been through dark times before and each and every time the dark gives way to light (no matter how faint that light may be...it is there).

    And just thinking about how the sun isn't all that much further from us when it is dark as compared to when it is light...I feel like a good comparison would be if you were standing before God...if He was standing three feet away from you and you were facing each other, you'd feel very close to Him (it'd be like the light/daytime)...but if you turned around and could no longer see Him (like darkness/night) then you would have a hard time knowing that He is there even though you cannot see him. You haven't changed the distance between you and Him by turning around...you've changed your ability to see Him. You know God (light) is there, but it's hard to know for sure when you can't see Him because your back is turned (or in the case of the Earth, you can't see the light because there's a big chunk of Earth that is blocking you from seeing light).

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  3. Showgrin, I appreciate your thoughts :) And it definitely helps to have someone remind you of what you have been blessed with..I don't think we are meant to go through this life on our own.

    McKinzie, I think I can see what you are saying, and I think I have used that mentality before as well. The idea that, I have been in the dark before, and the dark was replaced by light, and it will happen again. It is encouraging :)
    And I like that analogy! It is a better way of what I was saying :) Perspective is significant in these things for some reason..

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