Life is not always joyous and happy. Sometimes we are called to live through situations that are painful. They are the dark times of our lives. They are times we would rather forget and would not wish even on our enemies. I have found that I can try to fight against these times anyway possible. I can pray that God take them away wondering why God has fallen silent, or let me down. I can be angry or bitter. I can shake my fist at the darkness, waiting and praying that it all ends soon. I find that fighting against those times only leaves me exhausted. Instead, I am learning to embrace the darkness.

Here is an interesting video from author Parker Palmer where he shares an event that he had to embrace:

Into The Darkness from The Work Of The People on Vimeo.

Even though he does not use the term ’embrace’ I think it is a good word. Sometimes we don’t have a choice in what happens to us. We always have a choice in how to respond. Sometimes we have no idea why we are going through various events and we can become frustrated as we try to move forward. It is those times we can choose to embrace whatever it is we are experiencing. We embrace it by knowing that it is God who is leading us through it. We are not alone. He is with us and he will see us through.

The dark times give us the opportunity to deepen our faith as we embrace God in the darkness….until we see his light.