…Sometimes darkness can show us the light

A couple of weeks ago, my son asked me to watch a short clip that involved David Draiman, the lead singer for Disturbed, comforting a young fan who was crying. I watched it–and then shared it with others.

I was not aware of the context at the time, but I have since read more. The little girl had been singing all the songs along with the band–he thought she was adorable and invited her up on stage with them. She was overwhelmed with the attention and became frightened. Rather than ignoring her, Draiman stopped the show to take time to comfort and reassure her…and then to acknowledge that their focus as a band is to make everyone who comes to their concerts feel welcome and accepted.

Many had the similar positive response that I did, but there were others who took issue with a statement Draiman made toward the end of that clip: “…sometimes darkness can show us the light.”

I’ve been thinking about that. As the conversation continued, a statement was made that light only comes from light and that to say otherwise is not of God.

I have found a number of times when darkness can show us the light…

• Before the sun rises, the world is dark–and we see the light coming out of the darkness as the sun begins a new day.
• There are numerous stories of individuals who have been hurt in various ways by violence and war but who have chosen to forgive–and out of the darkness of the hatred comes light. Off the top of my head I think of Corrie ten Boom, Otto Frank, Immaculee Ilibagiza, Gandhi…
• When I have found myself in a dark place, there have been individuals who showed me love and care–allowing me to see light in the darkness.

Last night I was catching up on my magazine reading and came across an article that made me think just how true Draiman’s statement is. It was an article in the March/April 2022 Reader’s Digest about fireflies…specifically about finding and watching synchronous fireflies. After her experience in watching them in Appalachia on a specific tour, she then began spending intentional time in the dark around her house. Here’s what she said about that experience:

I might have set out on my firefly pilgrimage because I wanted to revel in light, but what I needed was a reconciliation with darkness.

Fireflies are light bearers, but it is the darkness between most species’ flashes that reveal their true character. Without intermittent darkness, there would be no synchronized light shows. There would be only glare. Stars are, after all, in the sky above us even at midday, but we see them only when the sun takes its leave. Because while it’s true that only light can drive out darkness, there are some forms of light that only darkness can reveal.

Leigh Ann Henion, Lighting Up the Night, from The Washington Post, reprinted in the March/April 2022 Reader’s Digest

May each of us choose to be the light for others to see in the darkness.

Look for the beautiful…look for the true…

There’s a hymn we used to sing when I was a girl that began this way: “Look for the beautiful, look for the true. Sunshine and shadow are all around you.”

Those words came to mind recently–both as a reminder and as a challenge.

There is lots of ugliness around right now. It’s easy to find, unfortunately. All we have to do is open the newspaper or listen to the news…or sometimes just listen to other people talking.

If we focus on only what is easy to find, we do ourselves a disfavor. We can become discouraged…resentful…feeling hopeless.

But there is also a lot of goodness around. It’s not as easy to find; it doesn’t sell newspapers or make it onto the TV very often. It’s worth looking for.

Sometimes those stories pop up on a Facebook feed. Sometimes we hear them from someone else. Sometimes there’s just a snippet on the news.

We need to find those stories in order to gain strength to deal with the shadows all around us. They are the stories that give us light. They are the stories that give us strength to be light…the light that shines in the darkness.

Today is the day…

Today is the day
the world holds its breath…
waiting–again–
for the dawn of a new time.

It came once before
in the birth of a child
laid in a feeding trough
and worshiped by shepherds.

Who knew this child
would turn the world upside down?
Who knew this child
would bring light into darkness?

Today is the day
we again hold our breath
waiting for light
to banish the darkness.

Will we see?

Seeing through a glass darkly

The other day I was sitting on my couch for my morning meditation. It was still dark outside. I had the curtain over the patio door open so I could watch the morning light. I had our Christmas tree lights on as well–and my Advent candle burning.

The scripture I was reading that morning was Paul’s section on love from I Corinthians 13. The phrase that struck me was the “seeing through a glass darkly”–because that’s what was happening to me.

As I looked at (through) the door, I was seeing my reflection being returned to me. It was like it feels sometimes with my prayers–that sometimes they bounce back. Sometimes I wonder if what I do makes any difference–or my attempts at peacemaking or trying to live in a way that recognizes the worth of all persons…are they bearing any fruit?

And yet, in the midst of that, I was also seeing glimpses of light beyond the door…lights in my neighbors’ houses, street lights. They weren’t bright, but they were a reminder that there is something beyond the darkness of the glass I was trying to look through.

And so I keep on, trusting that with each step I take, each attempt, I am on the journey to seeing more clearly.