Separating Light from Darkness

“And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.” Genesis 1:4

I’ve been in a funk lately.  I can’t keep up with the housework, I have to feed my children 3 times a day, I jammed my finger while killing a spider, and I ran out of dry shampoo.  Yes, winter is settling in and my seasonal affective disorder is kicking in just a tad early this year (why do I live in Idaho again?).  In all reality, this funk has taken me to a dark place and at times, I swear I can feel the darkness consuming me.  It’s like this big, dark cloud surrounds me and is going to suffocate me.  It seems to say, “You should run away.  Your family doesn’t love you.  There is nothing to look forward to.”  I shake it off, tell myself it isn’t healthy to think that way, and get back on with life.  But it’s always there, the darkness, waiting for me to fail.

Last week, I attended a leadership training for a position I serve in my church.  The opening speaker said, “I’ve been thinking about lightness and darkness.  ‘And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness’.” She went on to explain how light and dark were not separate things that God divided, like slicing an apple in half.  Rather, light was in darkness and God pulled the light out of the darkness.  And he saw that is was good.  She encouraged us to pull the light from within ourselves and let our light shine goodness on those around us.

I felt something stir deep within myself.  I thought of how light pushes darkness away, like in a cave where darkness is all consuming.  All you have to do is light a match and that tiny light will literally push the darkness away.  I though of how light is warm and inviting, like a ray of late afternoon sun shining through a window.  I envisioned people surrounded with light, with bright smiles going about the world and touching people, lighting them up too.  This speaker had let her light shine and her light had been pushing away the darkness in me.

Life is hard.  Houses are never clean, laundry is never done.  There are illnesses, torn pages in library books, markers on walls, and sleepless nights with crying babies.  But there is light too.  Your house isn’t clean because there is life in your home.  There are bright, energetic children making forts out of your couch cushions shouting, “Yo-ho Matey!”  Piles of laundry because your daughter has developed her first crush on a boy at school and she wants to look her best everyday.  Your toddler is sick because he licked the slide at the park, but hey, he had the time of his life on that slide.  And the library book?  The page was torn by a child, so eager to read the book that his chubby little fingers couldn’t keep up.  There is so much light in everyday moments.  We just need to pull the light from the darkness.

We all go through funk in our lives, and sometimes that funk is deep, dark despair.  Despair dark enough that we are left screaming inside our heads for someone, anyone to save us, to take away our pain.  I have seen first hand how drug addictions can take someone to the darkest place in life, where the darkness is consuming.  I myself have experienced deep darkness through death of a sibling, my parents divorce, and experiences so painful I wish to keep them private for now.  However, there have been times, like recently, where my life is filled with darkness for no apparent reason, yet, the darkness is there.

If you are consumed in darkness, I am here to tell you, pull the light from the darkness.  If we can reach out, ask for help, let someone know how we are feeling, they can help us find the light in our darkness.  Through those dark and painful experiences I have experienced, I have learned patience, compassion, love, and forgiveness.  Living through those dark times and knowing there is light on the other side is what led me to pursue a career in the mental health field.  I want to help others pull the light from their darkness and in turn, they might help others pull the light from their darkness and so on.

There is light everywhere.  Light in a smile.  Light in a hug.  Light in surprise.  I even will dare say there is light in loss and pain.  If we will pull our light from the darkness, that light will continue to push the darkness away until we are nothing but shining light.  Then, it is our duty to help others pull the light from their darkness.

Find your light, pull your light from darkness, let it shine.  This LITTLE LIGHT of mine, I’m gonna let it shine!