Excerpted from "One Like Jesus: Conversations on the Single Life."
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
There are times in my life when nights are difficult for me. The workday is over, the evening activities have ended, I am alone in my bed, and occasionally fear, loneliness, or sadness sets in. This is particularly true when I am overly tired or stressed, when I am working too hard and not playing enough. It is easy to keep those feelings at bay while I am busy or while people are around. But sometimes late at night the feelings come unbidden and unwelcome, and I wonder if God knows or cares. The darkness of the night also used to frighten me. I felt completely alone in the black of night, so I warded off the feelings of fear with night-lights and hall lights or whatever else was needed. I wanted nothing more than to have someone to lie with, someone to keep me safe. That fear of the dark was really a fear of the darkness inside me, of my own unresolved issues, and night-lights were only a placebo. As I began to confront the darkness inside me and as my relationship with God deepened, my fear of the night faded away. All alone in the dark I finally discovered that God is with me in the night, as in the light, and wrapped in God's presence, the nighttime began to feel like a warm and comfortable quilt. By befriending the darkness within and without, I found a new and welcome friend, a friend who brought gifts I'd never imagined.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
John 1:5
There are times in my life when nights are difficult for me. The workday is over, the evening activities have ended, I am alone in my bed, and occasionally fear, loneliness, or sadness sets in. This is particularly true when I am overly tired or stressed, when I am working too hard and not playing enough. It is easy to keep those feelings at bay while I am busy or while people are around. But sometimes late at night the feelings come unbidden and unwelcome, and I wonder if God knows or cares. The darkness of the night also used to frighten me. I felt completely alone in the black of night, so I warded off the feelings of fear with night-lights and hall lights or whatever else was needed. I wanted nothing more than to have someone to lie with, someone to keep me safe. That fear of the dark was really a fear of the darkness inside me, of my own unresolved issues, and night-lights were only a placebo. As I began to confront the darkness inside me and as my relationship with God deepened, my fear of the night faded away. All alone in the dark I finally discovered that God is with me in the night, as in the light, and wrapped in God's presence, the nighttime began to feel like a warm and comfortable quilt. By befriending the darkness within and without, I found a new and welcome friend, a friend who brought gifts I'd never imagined.
