sacred strokes

Most everyone goes through low points in their lives – whether they’re times of sadness, pain, anger, doubt or frustration – and it’s like a cloud is completely surrounding us. We’re in the middle of something intangible that we can’t even fully grasp, but it’s affecting how we see the world around us, secluding us, keeping us from joy. It fogs us up and darkens our world, be it for an hour, or for a day, or for years on end.

Darkness takes many forms. Sometimes, it’s a cloud we jumped into ourselves. Like it or not, we created that thing and put ourselves in the position we’re in. And Satan loves to remind us of that and keep us in shame. “This is all your fault, you know.” “God can’t get you out of this – you’ll never escape.” “No one else cares- you did this to yourself and this is karma. You’re all alone – deal with it.” Other times, the darkness is a cloud that was caused by something completely out of our control – whether it’s a death, loss of a job or relationship, depression or another mental illness, or someone else’s sin that has caused you pain. Either way, darkness sucks.

Today, I have darkness of the second variety on my mind. That darkness we did not bring upon ourselves. This past weekend was pretty rough for a girl who is very special to me, and I know that it is contributing to my thoughts today. Not only did someone close to her pass away, but a rumor was started by a boy who had messaged her asking for nude photos. Hey, I’m telling it like it is. She told him no and blocked him on social media. So he goes and tells a bunch of people, including some of her friends, that she had sent nude photos around. Now, some people might not pay too much mind to that type of rumor, or might let is pass like the stupid gossip it is. But each of this girl’s parents were called because kids told their own parents about it, and they proceeded to contact her parents. Her parents know that she would never do something like that (oh, and there are zero photos to prove it because it didn’t happen), and they know that the boy acted out of cruelty, spite, being scorned, who knows – but it was definitely done out of darkness.

One biblical idea that my dad has quoted to me many times is that darkness hates the light. Now, that’s not to say that anyone is perfect, luminescent, holy, superior or any of that. But it’s the truth and it’s a reflective thought as well. Guard your hearts and minds because Satan WANTS you to dwell in darkness and hate the light. To hate the good.  To hate those who do well, begin to envy those you admire, start to wish you had what they did, search out the bad rather than the good in others, or even make up falsehoods about them. To tell yourself that there’s no way he could be that decent a person because you’re jealous and can’t stand the thought of someone being more smart, good-looking, nice, fit, strong, successful, popular, or whatever than you are. By focusing on someone else so much, you lose sight of what YOU have – your own strengths and qualities – and you become a bitter soul. Bitter to others and bitter to God. And, oh, how Satan loves it!

I was reading John yesterday and got to Jesus’ infamous words in John 3:16… but it was His words afterward in John 3:19-21 that stood out to me. It reads, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”

Those verses are so applicable and they hit home in some areas. Do I hold something against someone who is doing better than me? Someone who is more successful? Someone who seems to have a happier marriage or relationship or life than I do? Someone who is more talented than I am? Someone who is better looking than me? Someone who seems closer to the Lord? Someone my friends like more than me?  Someone who is more intelligent or insightful? Someone who is kinder or funnier than I am? If I do, what the heck is my deal?!

It’s because it’s easier to turn to dislike and jealousy than to acknowledge our own shortcomings or to accept that we’re not God’s greatest gift to the world. It’s like we can’t handle not being the best. I mean how quick are we to believe something bad about someone who’s generally good? It’s pretty dang fast and we even relish in it a bit. Even when we hear the good stuff about someone, we like to remind ourselves of the bad things or even assume that the good stuff isn’t true. I mean, look how celebrities are treated and judged! We humans do that all the time, even with the average Joes and Janes around us. The more we envy someone, the more we love to believe or even spread the negative about them, even if it’s untrue.

The rumor started by that boy was false, and also motivated by something of darkness. Unfortunately, this boy doesn’t yet know the Light. He saw something good in someone, though he didn’t like it, and attacked her for it. Attacked her character because she was good enough and smart enough to not send him photos. And other people proceeded to spread that lie around. Why do we spread that kind of negative to others? Out of care and concern? Wrong. If it is out of love and genuine concern, we contact the person directly. ONE friend of that girl texted her to let her know that the boy had been saying that stuff to everyone at some party. That is a good friend right there! The one who let her know immediately, the one who knew she wouldn’t do that, and who didn’t spread it to others.

I told the girl that God could use this situation. He can bring light regardless of the size, density, or blackness of the cloud. He can always break through. Darkness hates the light, but the Light is much stronger than any darkness. The boy did end up publicly apologizing on social media and I think/hope he learned something from what he did.  Maybe he’ll even learn from the girl’s forgiveness and that it is because Someone has forgiven her and enabled her to show such grace to others.  The whole situation made me think, though –

How are we hating the light around us? Are there ways we are opposing the goodness in others because we are ourselves hanging out in darkness? Maybe we have one arm still in a cloud, grasping at something we can’t let go of, and we despise those who are more fully exposed in the light? Is it because, for some reason, we know that although we can see their flaws and shortcomings, they are the ones who can be fully loved because they are fully seen? Is it because we know that we are hiding a part of ourselves and feel like if we showed it, we wouldn’t be as fully welcomed and embraced as they are?

God loves each of us and, even if you feel like the darkness around you can shield you from Him, He sees every little bit of you. All the good, all the bad. He knows more about you than you know about yourself. And coming into the light can be painful as we see where we have been harboring darkness in our souls that we may not have even realized was there. But the light is where the Lord is. It is where love can fully and truly be given. It is where we let go of orders, classes, cliques, hierarchies, because we are all accepted just as we are. We don’t focus on the darkness in others because we are so consumed with the light. We may notice a dark spot creeping up and help someone to rid herself of it, but we certainly don’t rejoice in others’ struggles. We don’t gossip, we don’t lie, we don’t sin. That place of pure Light all around does not yet exist on earth, and I cannot wait until the Light overtakes all of creation and there are no more places for darkness and shadows to hide. No more places I can cower when I feel like being spiteful or jealous. Nowhere to find solace in envy and slander.

If you aren’t feeling convicted yet, get ready for the heavy hitter. James 3:5-12 tells us that “The tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.  The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.”

…WOAH. Okay, so this is telling me that when I curse others, slander and gossip with my mouth (salt water), I become unable to fully express praise and goodness (fresh water.)   The same tongue cannot authentically produce both. Is my tongue spreading darkness or light? Oh, boy…

I’ll leave us with Philippians 4:8 – “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.”

Let the Light shine through the darkness, through any clouds in your life. It will change your entire way of seeing others and of seeing the world around you.

I know it was a long one today, and jumbled a bit. But I hope it was worth reading, HLC