Looking for the light.

We live in a dreary world.  A world where people are looking for the light, but just can’t seem to find it. 

People are chanting “not my president” and protesting over so many things I can’t even get my head around it. Women, illegal immigrants, pipelines, black lives, police lives, transgender bathrooms, gay marriage…..the unrest is palpable.  The words are often filled with hate - blasted over social media.  Things we’d never say in person, we now feel free to blast over the internet.  And the words - they can’t be forgotten.  They will never be forgotten!  Name calling.  Name calling people we’ve never even met because of something we read that may or may not be true…It’s elementary.  We are better than this.  For my kids’ sake, we better be better than this! 

It’s so hard to wrap my head around all of it.  But I think people are just searching for meaning.  They want to stand for something.  They want to right the wrong.  And they want to fight the fight. They want to make a difference.  But oftentimes, making a difference looks a whole lot like taking action.  Doing something to make the world a better place.  I’m much more interested in what someone’s doing than just reading their very angry opinion.  Hateful words on either side won’t change anything.  But honestly, I think people are just looking for the light.  And they can’t find it in the middle of the darkness.  They’re too busy living in the darkness to see the light that’s right there. 

We live in a dreary world.  Did you know that it rains more in Stanton, Kentucky than in Seattle or Portland?  I keep finding different statistics, but some estimates say we get ten more inches of rain per year than both Seattle and Portland.  Moss grows on the trees here.  The forests look more like tropical jungles.  The grass stays green year-round.  Nobody has sprinklers to water their lawn.  They’re not needed.   And mold allergies are crazy high.  It’s overcast, cloudy, dreary, and wet a lot of the time.  The sky is, more often than not, a dreary grayish white.  Not blue.  And I catch myself just looking for the light.  Sunny days – they’re everything!  My entire spirit is lifted when I see the sun.  I spend a lot of time searching for the light in the middle of the darkness.

A few months ago I was on an airplane.  We were boarding, and it was snowing and we were delayed going through a de-icing process.  And so I had plenty of time to think about this dreary world we live in.  But then a funny thing happened.  We took off, gained elevation, and rose above the clouds.  And you know what?  The sun was shining.  

And I had a little “aha” moment of sorts.  Even when it’s dark.  Even when it’s dreary.  The sun still rises every single day.  It shines down on us every single day.  Even when the clouds are blocking it from us.  It’s still there.  Shining brightly.

Just like God. 

We all have dark days.  We’re discouraged.  We’re sick.  We’re heartbroken.  We feel helpless.  Defeated.  Lonely.  And depressed.  But he’s still there.  We just have to look beyond the darkness to see the light.  He is our light.  And he’s always there.