Have you noticed the days getting lighter? The sun rises a little earlier and sets a little later and we love it! It’s a visual reminder that spring is coming and with it, more light!
How often do we get excited about having more darkness? I think darkness gets a bad rap. We have been told and conditioned that Light is better than Darkness. You know the examples: Light vs Dark, Good vs Evil, God’s ways vs the Way of the World, Hero vs Villain. I mean, Christ is the Light of the World after all.
Still, we need darkness. Creation needs darkness, in many different ways. We, and growing things, need the dark as well as the light to grow! Ask our farmers and master gardeners. God created this natural rhythm of light… and dark…and light… and dark again. Experiencing darkness helps us appreciate the light, both figuratively and literally. In the ‘darkest’, most difficult times of my life is when I have grown toward the Divine Light the most and gained a new appreciation for it.
But sometimes I prefer the darkness; I find a peace in it. There seems to be a slowing, a resting and possibly even an awakening of my other senses, a new ‘sight’ perhaps. Living in the Northwoods for 20 years I experienced very dark nights. I have enjoyed night hikes without a flashlight amazed at how my eyes got used to the dark and how much I actually could see. We loved being up at the ballfield mesmerized by the vastness of our Milky Way Galaxy as we gazed at the brilliance of the scattered stars. And my favorite, watching the rippled reflection of the moon on a quiet, still, black lake. Yes, darkness gets a bad rap.
So the next time I find myself in emotional, mental or spiritual darkness, I will remember the beauty and blessings I have found in the literal darkness of night, and let those memories be encouragement and hope that whatever darkness may surround me, while challenging, is not only temporary but needed for my growth.
– Adele DiNatale-Svetnicka
Great reflection! Thanks for opening my eyes to the values of darkness too. 🙏
Beautiful reflection. Thanks for opening my eyes to the darkness.
So prefect!!
Without darkness how would we measure lightness?
A fine reflection. Yes, darkness can be an aid to prayer, reflection, settling down after busy times. It can provide a kind of comfort.
What a unique and refreshing reflection! Thank you Adele. Especially in preparation for Lent (my favorite season).
God dwells in darkness, in silence. How could we fear being with him alone?
Beautiful reflection, Adele! It gave me a new way to look at darkness and the beauty it can bring into my life!
Thanks for this timely reminder! Here’s a beautiful song by folk singer Sara Thomsen that first helped me appreciate darkness:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEyxxfih0lc
Thank you Adele for reminding us how good the darkness can be. Yes it is in those times of darkness that I have grown the most. And thank you Irene for the link to Sara Thomsen’s song. I have recently been introduced to her music and it is beautiful and soul touching