It is not the way of life that we always live in the light of things. If there is light, then there must also be darkness. If there are good times to be had, there must be some down time – much as we would prefer otherwise. For life exacts a balance from us.
Nature is cyclical as well: summer, fall, winter, spring. Time too requires balance, and knows its own unique cycles. This consists of patterns and events which recur over and again in varying shapes, forms and happenings. For it also knows changes in ‘season’. The author of Ecclesiastes 1:9 states this rather well when he writes… “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.”
All around us, be it in life, nature or time, there needs to be a balance between opposing forces. For strange as it may seem, this is how harmony is achieved… and consequently maintained.
Any extreme at either end, causes a disruption which then tips the scales off kilter. The resulting imbalance brings with it discord and chaos which can be harmful in its expression. And this is what we are experiencing and living through now.
Present circumstances have caused a disturbance in the heretofore balance of society and nature. An equilibrium to which we had become accustomed, and enjoyed. Perhaps taking it a bit for granted. But complacency is not necessarily a virtue. For it leads to the very disruption in the forces of life which we are currently experiencing. Balance in the world around us must be nurtured and encouraged, that we all might reap its beneficence flowing through our lives.
With the scales presently tipped off center, the cycle of time has turned, and a darker aspect now prevails. This darkness, in the form of extremism, is in the ascendent. It has thrown our world out of kilter, and we must find a way to endure.
For in time, the circle will indeed turn, thus allowing for a lighter, brighter, and more sane day to assert itself. We have survived similar disruptions in the past, and will do so again now.
Yet, there are lessons to be learned in the darkness. Things which one cannot see in the light of day, for they are drowned out by that very light, and made invisible to the eye… and the heart.
Without the darkness of night asserting itself, we would never know the beauty of a glorious sunset. The fullness of evening’s night reveals the radiance of glimmering stars. The planets glow bright within the firmament high above us. Such sights have served, and continue to be, a symbol of hope for many who experience struggle, or the loneliness of a difficult time.
Darkness cloaks us within a depth of silence, enabling our innermost thoughts to be heard more clearly. Thus, revealing answers to problems which the light of day distracts away from.
In the dark our senses become more acute, attuned to sparks of insight which would otherwise go unnoticed. For they are easily overlooked in the light of day. Insights which can improve and enhance our lives.
There is much to be learned from within the dark, which is lost amidst lighter times and a more pleasant circumstance.
However, oftentimes it’s when the darkness feels the most intense, that we know the Presence of God more surely in our lives.
Yes, these are dark days within which we live, and in so doing must learn how to accommodate. For no one wins or gains in an atmosphere of burgeoning authoritarianism. Therefore wisely, we choose our battles and meantime await the turning of the tide. For life is not static. It is dynamic with a constant ebb and flow of movement.
The seasons change as part of Nature’s rhyme and rhythm. So too do trends of opinion and thought. What goes around, comes around, as they say. And therefore, none too soon, will the specter which defines and overshadows our current time also pass. It will fall away to dust in the bright sunlight of a new day.
The scales of life will once again achieve their needed balance. And the harmony which promotes life will find a way to prevail. It always does. For the good is the stronger force here, and always outweighs the bad, though today that might not seem so. But it will not always feel like it does today. Because life moves on… and we will move with it best we can, riding out the cycles of time.
So… we search for what light is hidden within this darkness, and see how it can shine brighter than otherwise realized. Cultivate patience… and keep the hope of a better day glowing strong within our heart.
Remembering…
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build…
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak.
He has made everything beautiful in its time…
This is the gift of God.”
(Eccles. 3:1-7, 11)