The Glimpse of Light, on the Darkest Day

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You've heard it said that the dawn shines most brightly after the darkest night.  And today it couldn't be any truer.  We remember the sacrifice of our Lord on the cross so many years ago. It was with a deafening gasp that He gave up His spirit, but with that gasp, we gained access to the Holy Spirit.  So often we think that our darkest moments are just that:  dark.  But I believe that each dark moment is pregnant with hope, the hope of what can be through Christ, not the darkness of what seems to be.

The Grief, the Hope:  Mary and the others gathered below the cross, and must have felt the terrible weight of grief, the incredible pain of losing their Savior, their only hope.  Have you ever watched your only hope slip away from you?  I have felt that pain.  But is this possible?  The truth is, if we are children of God, we cannot 'lose' our hope.  But we are easily deceived into thinking that our earthly hopes are equal to our Eternal Hope.  Not so!  We may 'lost sight' of our hope, but it is never truly lost because it is dependent on God, and not us.

Fellowship with the Light:  Because of Christ's triumphant death and resurrection, we have an unshakeable hope, certain and sure....an inheritance waiting for us in heaven.  And lest we be confused, that inheritance, our greatest reward, is Christ himself.  It is not the relief from sorrow and pain, as wonderful as that may be, it is not our new bodies, it is not the reunion with fellow saints....all great blessings, for sure.  But the Light that we see breaking into the darkest night, our darkest moments, is the Light of Christ and the fellowship we can have with him.  When I meditate on what Christ did for us and think back to my darkest times, I find myself drawing closer and closer to Him.  For the fellowship of suffering, though challenging, brings the brightest Light into our soul.  We die with him, and live with him.

Is it 'Good' Friday?  I wonder sometimes if the hard times I have suffered, and that others suffer are really good?  We look at the crucifixion and because we know 'the rest of the story', we know that it was good, very, very good.  In our dark times, we must trust that Christ will shine Light on every part of our stories.  He is able to make all things beautiful in His time.  

Ruth

{Join me every Friday as I link up with The Gypsy Mama's Five Minute Friday link-up!}