GROWING SEEDS: "Embrace The Darkness"

 

"Take the hardest thing in your life - the place of difficulty, outward or inward,
and expect God to triumph gloriously in that very spot. 
Just there he can bring your soul into blossom." 

I don't know who wrote the words above......but I cling tightly to them....with fingers that include chipped and broken nails from a very difficult year.  And I know I am joined by many others who are clinging tightly to a broken heart from a failed marriage...or a painful hip that flat-out won't heal and needs injections.....or maybe a diagnosis there is no cure for.....or even the sting of loneliness as those you once counted on have vanished from your side.

"It is when the rain is falling, or the mist hangs in the air
When the road is dark and rugged, and the wind no longer fair
That we find it hard to trust Him, and are slower to obey."
George McDonald

Yet...it's in the darkness, friends, that we learn the gift of faith.  It's in the darkest moments of our lives He lets us know what His hands feel like. It's in those times where we can't see beyond our toes that our sense of hearing kicks in and we hear Him breathing our name and leading us through the night with His voice.  It's trusting......even when we feel forsaken.

But He promises, if you stay focused on the touch of His hand and the calm of His voice, you will come through the storm.  And one day, you will wake up and find yourself walking out of the dark tunnel of confusion, pain and hurt and realize you survived....chipped nails and all....to a life that includes bright sunshine and a Friend who will never let go of you.

Embrace the darkness, Friends......it's a Gift.

"That person will receive the Crown of Life....Promised." 
James 1:12