I will go before you and level the mountains, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron, I will give you the treasures of darkness and riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who call you by your name.
Scripture Reading
Isaiah 45:2-3 (NRSV)
“Come inside now, it’s getting dark.” That is my mother speaking, saying the same thing she said every night when she looked out the kitchen window and saw that the sun was going down. Dark was dark, and she wanted her children inside. The dangerousness of the dark was like the law of gravity. No one could say exactly how it worked, but everyone agreed on it. When night fell, children are gathered inside, front porch lights switched on, curtains were drawn, and doors were locked. The inside of the house became a showcase of artificial light.
It is the inability to bear dark emotions that causes many of our most significant problems, in other words, not the emotions themselves. When we cannot tolerate the dark, we try all kinds of artificial lights, including but not limited to drugs, alcohol, shopping, shallow sex, and hours in front of the television set or computer.
Who would stick around to wrestle a dark angel all night long if there were any chance of escape? The only answer I can think of is this: someone in deep need of blessing; someone willing to limp forever for the blessing that follows the wound.
Contemporary Reading
Learning To Walk In The Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor
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