Beauty in the Darkness
Cooler weather. Colorful leaves. Pumpkins. Football. What do all these things have in common? Fall, of course! While I enjoy much of what Fall has to offer, I confess I’m a Summer girl and there is always a piece of me that struggles to let go of the long days and warm weather. Well, 100 degrees and humidity are a little easier to wave goodbye to, but the fading hours of daylight…that’s where Fall and I reach our greatest point of contention.
One of my favorite aspects of Summer is the extra daylight, so my heart sinks a little watching darkness encroach upon hours that were once filled with light.
I’m not a fan of darkness. Not physically. Not metaphorically. But, as I’ve settled into the change in seasons, I’ve discovered something unexpected in the darkness.
Beauty
Beauty in watching the hand of God paint the sky in shades of pinks and purples as He ushers out the day and brings forth the night. Beauty in stars shining bright against the backdrop of a clear, black sky. Beauty in a full, harvest moon glowing so gloriously it repels the surrounding darkness.
In those moments, I’ve become oh so thankful that God not only provides light in the darkness, but that He IS light in the darkness. As Jesus proclaimed in John 8:12:
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Darkness is no match for the name of Jesus. So, when our hearts feel fearful or burdened by darkness in the world around us or heavy and overwhelmed by dark seasons in our lives, we don’t have to despair.
As one of my favorite worship songs declares:
“Jesus, Jesus, You make the darkness tremble
Jesus, Jesus, You silence fear
Your name is a light that the shadows can’t deny
Your name cannot be overcome
Your name is alive and forever lifted high
Your name cannot be overcome”
(Tremble, Mosaic MSC)
Where He is, His light is and where His light is, beauty can be found…even in the darkest of nights.
For there is something altogether beautiful about experiencing his presence when we walk through valleys of deep darkness, his comfort during heavy nights of the soul, and his peace as it illuminates corners of our minds where fear lurks in the shadows.
The light may seem dim in the moment, but a glorious glow radiates around his future promise that one day, “night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 22:5)