Light in the Darkness – Walter Barker, 1956 [ https://weatherspoonartmuseum.org/objects-1/info/629?sort=0 ]
From Sadness to Gladness
When things are going well in our lives, it is easy to rejoice in creation and to thank God for the many blessings of this life. But for many of us, when things are not going so well, it sometimes can be challenging to recognize that God is present and that indeed God is with us to help us move “from sadness to gladness.”
But how do we get there? How do we see light in the darkness?
Often, as our devotion today suggests, we find it through reading scripture, or in a hymn or poem, or through close companions. We find it through patience and through the knowledge that God is in fact the light that will guide us from the darkness.
We would not fully know gladness and light without also knowing sadness and darkness. This is what Nouwen seems to be getting at when he cites “the paradox of expectation.” He is suggesting that in order for us to get to gladness and joy during difficult times, we must expect it and believe in it. And we do that not through rational certitude but through faith.
A prayer from our devotional: Lord of comfort and hope, grant us the assurance that you are with us always, whether or not we recognize your presence in our dark moments. Amen.
– Tom Smyth, EFM Alumnus
Always reminds me of the story about the footprints in the sand, when we ask God why he abandoned us in our darkest hour. He patiently answers that he never abandoned us, but was carrying us through those times.
Thanks, Tom.