well, I haven't posted in a while mostly because I've been too busy with papers and exams to process much of the insights I gain in my studies. Oh well, some will stick and others will pass by.
Tonight I celebrated Earth Hour which is an hour to stop using electricity to raise awareness of environmental concerns. We had a really nice worship service on campus during which I had an image, a metaphore, that was meaningful to me. We each took a candle and went somewhere in the chapel for 10 min. We could sit in silence or pray or whatever we wanted.
For a long while I sat bowed over the candle with my eyes closed. I could see the imprint of the light on my eyelids and the brightness of it covered me. At some point I sat up and raised my head upward with my eyes still closed. The darkness settled over me quickly. I was struck in that moment by what a metaphor that was for my life. There have been times when I have been so engulfed by the presence of God that I could see it clearly just as when I was facing the light. But many other times, probably more times in my life, I've felt that the darkness is all that I could see. It seemed so real. Yet the amazing thing in that moment as I sat with the candle is that I knew that the candle was still there and still blazing. I could feel the candle in my hand even though I couldn't see or feel it's fire. That is what my faith seeks to do. When the darkness is closing in I grasp hold of that which I cannot see. I know that it is real even when I'm scared, even when I doubt, even when I don't understand.
I'm sure it's not a new metaphore, but I want to remember it.
No comments:
Post a Comment