Be Held in God's Light
“All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” – Jn 1:3-5
I’m confident that many of us have, at some point in our lives, sat in the shadows (literally and figuratively) waiting for some semblance of light to illuminate a path and show us a way out. I’ve had my share of dark times, seemingly endless moments where I sought answers to questions that I felt were veiled in secrecy; hidden from me so that I had no choice but to sit in ignorance and fear for as long as I thought God needed me to.
I’ve always humbled myself to be a faithful servant – obedient and trusting, especially as I got older. I learned to pray for the grace to maintain a genuine hope that challenging times in my life were meant to teach me something, meant to lead me somewhere, meant to bring me closer to God. But it turns out, I’m a fallible human being who forgets her place in her Father’s care when she encounters hardships that weigh heavier than usual. These past few weeks have seen some of those times.
“It’s ok,” I’ve been telling myself. “Just hold yourself together until it passes.”
Hold myself together – I thought it was my way of being brave, but really it was me bracing myself for more adversity, more dark days, and at its worst, resignation that it may not get better, that there’s no light to look forward to, that this time, maybe no one is coming to get me.
Today’s gospel reassures us that there is always Someone who will come get us. In my darkness, I cried, I pleaded for help, I asked for understanding. There is no need for us to think we know all to deal with all, or feel that we have to hold it together, when there is One who offers to hold us Himself; hold us up to the light…His light.
Do you seek God’s light and comfort in your darkness? If not, what is keeping you from doing so?
Anna Gonda