Hope Out of the Darkness

Hope.

Such a simple word for something so profound. Where do we find it… how do we even hope for hope when it seems like the whole world is losing light?

When Mary was pregnant with Jesus in a time of spiritual darkness, she could have been very fearful. Still, she lived in hope – secured by the words of the Angel Gabriel – that her child would reign over the house of Jacob forever. Her reply was, “My soul doth magnify the Lord.”

I would gladly welcome an angel to appear before me today and assure me all will be well, no matter what. But hope isn’t a whimsy, a magical guarantee that all our wishes will be granted. It’s a state of soul, a seed of faith, that no matter how dark it seems, we will continue to focus on the light, even if it’s just a microscopic pinpoint. Our souls can magnify that light. Even if clouds surround us and we lose our direction for a while. It is always there. God’s light, like God’s love. Eternal.

So, how to deal with spiritual darkness? In the physical world, there is no scientific entity of “darkness”. Darkness doesn’t have an actual form because it is merely the absence of physical light. Can I learn to look at our world with this in mind? Can I imagine that all the things that dim my spirit right now – instead of a presence of evil – are instead an absence of light?

Imagining this, my own sense of hope stretches out. Can we somehow keep magnifying the Lord, magnifying God’s love, no matter what? Maybe we can. Let others see how we are loved by showing love. Let the darkness of our times be lit by that love, as much as possible. Can we continue to welcome, to do unto others, to show them they are loved?

I believe we can.  We shall continue to hope.

Shared by Patrice Donnell