By Ginger Hughes
As evening fell, my husband sat with our two-year-old in the middle of his bedroom floor, reading books before bedtime. A small lamp offered a soft glow in the otherwise dark room. Closing the last book, they stood up, and my husband walked over to the dresser and turned off the lamp.
Darkness cloaked the room except for the smallest sliver of light peeking under the bedroom door from a light left on just down the hall. “Daddy, I can’t see you! Where are you?” our little boy asked anxiously.
My husband’s eyes adjusted quickly and though it was dark, he could see our little one’s silhouette still standing there, perfectly still, in the middle of the floor. Our son’s eyes had not adjusted as quickly, and he couldn’t see his daddy.
The sudden shift from light to dark left him feeling insecure and afraid. My husband said, “I’m right here son.” Our youngest again said, “But, Daddy, I can’t see you.”
My husband walked straight over to him, picked him up and reassuringly said, “That’s OK, buddy, because Daddy can see you, and I’m right here with you.”
Even as adults, the darkness can seem overwhelming, can’t it? When troubles come, it’s easy to become wrought with fear and uncertainty. This darkness can feel like the sheer absence of all joy, all peace, and all hope.
It can feel like quicksand, sucking us down into a void where we feel powerless to join in the living. Our Enemy would have us believe this is true: that the light is extinguished and gone for good; that despair, fear and darkness reign — that ultimately, our hope is gone.
However, John 1:5 assures us, “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Even in our little boy’s room, there was a sliver of light, though momentarily he couldn’t see it because he was distracted by his fear. Even more, his father was standing right there beside him; he simply couldn’t see him while looking through the eyes of anxiety.
The same understanding is true for God. When darkness descends upon us, we often become so afraid that our fear and despair seem larger than the Almighty. But just as my son’s father was still standing beside him, so it is with our Heavenly Father.
Even when darkness seems to surround us, God is still present. In our most difficult moments when the shadows envelop us, we can hold the hand of the Giver of all light.
So whatever we’re facing today, whether brokenness within our family, an unexpected diagnosis, the loss of a loved one, financial hardships or any other circumstance that has caused our eyes to be diverted from the Light, we can trust that God is still with us.
Just as my husband spoke into the night comforting our child, our Heavenly Father, comforts us in our darkness whispering:
“You are not alone, for I will never leave you nor forsake you. Though it has become like night around you, it is not dark to Me. My Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness will not overcome it. Do not fear. Do not be afraid.” (Isaiah 41:10, Deut. 31:6, Psalm 139:12, John 1:5)
-Ginger Hughes is the wife of a pastor, a mother of two and an accountant. She is a Georgia native currently living in the foothills of North Carolina. Her passion for writing is fueled by the desire to offer encouragement, grace and a deeper understanding that we are all God’s children. Her blogging for Nurturing Faith is sponsored by a gift from First Baptist Church of Gainesville, Ga. Additional writings may be found at nomamasperfect.com.
