Darkness. Perhaps the current understanding of darkness is untrue. What if darkness is absolutely necessary for life as is lightness? Why do we treat the darkness as a foreign state, as if it is not natural but rather the opposite of natural - unnatural?
Most of our thoughts or definitions of darkness come from someone else. Depending on how comfortable your parents were with the darkness will definitely have an effect on your feelings toward darkness. My daughter has always been very comfortable in the darkness. Unlike myself, she has always closed her door at night. She never really cared whether or not there was a 'night' light. We never had a light on at night. I enjoyed sitting outside at night looking at the stars. Loved walking in the dark, partly because you can see inside the houses and see the decorations and colours etc . Some people think that is 'peeping' but I figure if they didn't want you to look they would close the curtains or close the lights. It was best in Germany because the houses are right beside the road and not far off with huge lawns in front. For anyone who loves to camp the darkness is the best part. Although that is when we light fires, sit around them and allow the dark to circle us. Walking back to the trailer is so beautiful because the stars are so brilliant.....a light against the dark!
I digress. I have always been very comfortable in the darkness. I have found myself sitting in the dark of night on the worst times in my life. I have found myself walking the streets at night when I am stress or anxious. I find the darkness like a blanket....safe and warm not frightening and dangerous. I have even been very at ease with looking at the darkness that exists within me. I know that we have two sides to us. The one we are happy to show and the other we keep hidden. We use the expression 'our darkside' because again we are inculturated to see anything in the dark as negative. Our faith takes us there....the devil lives in the dark, God in the light. Well the book I am presently reading debunks that understanding.....finally something that resonates with me and the dark.
In the Book of Exodus we find that Moses came face to face with God in the darkest part of the mountain. Imagine that. Hmmmm....God being found in the dark. Not a light in the dark but in the dark. So I don't have to find a light in myself before I can meet God in my own darkness. For this time in my life I find this very encouraging. I don't have to move out of the darkness before I can come to see and meet my God. Perhaps while I am here I will try to look more closely for God, rather than trying to run from the dark.
Will keep you posted on how it goes.
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