You cannot know the light without first knowing the dark. Of all the questions in my life, this one I’ve pondered the most, “Why, God? If you love us, why must we endure so much pain? Wouldn’t it be easier to just save us all from suffering right now?” The answer is complicated, I know, but it’s also simple. If he saved us all right now, then no more light could enter the world. Babies could not be born. Marriages could not happen. Stories could not be written. Miracles could not occur to give us hope. Love could not be found in the sense that we know it. Yes, for those who believe, we’d find ourselves living in the purity of heaven, but our story would end.
All the experiences of life are part of a great story. From a broken heart, to finding love again. From the loss of someone dear to us, to the birth of someone brand new. From the destruction of a twisted hateful group of people, to the brave ones who save everyone in the end. What happens within us as we walk in this life is profound. But sometimes we have the experience, and miss the meaning. If we choose to see it, we come to know the beautiful. It’s where we come to know our strength and our character. It’s where we come to know the message of redemption. It’s where we come to know God.
The pureness of God’s love is found in our everyday moments; the laughing with our loved ones, the comfort of our animals, the peace of a gentle breeze, and the rebirth of nature when the trees bloom in the Spring. To receive all these gifts, though, they must be born. The leaves of the trees must die in the fall to be made new again, and so it is with us. The pain of childbirth has to happen, or we can’t see the miracle of what comes after. The love and enchantment of a newborn baby is pure grace and a sign of a deep, great love.
Do not fear the pains of life, or trials that come to challenge you. Do not fall into darkness, helplessness and self-pity. Carry your cross. Have faith that this is all a part of the journey. Sometimes parts of us must die, in order for us to be made new again. When unbearable times come, know you can bear them, and you will see light at the end of the tunnel. When something or someone is taken away, believe that something good will arise from the ashes. Someone will enter your life when you least expect it. Something good will come to someone else. The darkness leads us to the light. Without both, we can not know either.
