The Dark Days

I learned today that a close friend and his family will be going through some dark days. There is no way out, there is no immediate comfort, and this will be a life-changing time. In the midst of this I find myself facing another "both / and" realization. People always ask, "Did God do this?", or "Did this just happen?" If I confess that God made all that we see then at some point I have to say that Yes, God did this. And, if I believe that God created man with choice, and so not long after that creation sin and death entered the world, then I can say that Yes, this did just happen. But, even more than the darkness, what about my response to it?

Can I be fearful and faithful? Can I be angry and accepting? Can God's light be revealed through the darkness that consumes my thoughts? The words, "God is always in control; He always has a plan" do not hold much comfort when all the world is crashing down. And yet, they remain true. God is not loving because of my circumstances, God is loving regardless of them. And, God does not love me because of how I respond, God simply loves me. So, yes, I believe that I can demonstrate fear and faith, anger and acceptance, and even a trial so dark that it threatens to consume me can be used to shed God's light in my life and this world.

I will share more details in the coming months, but for now please pray for my friends, and for those in your own life who must face the darkness... that they would know they do not face it alone!