Growing up in Durban, South Africa, many of us had the luxury of a swimming pool in our garden. Yes we live along the coast, but somehow we all still felt the need to own a pool. We all have fond childhood memories of playing games in and around the pool, or riding our bicycles around the pool, seeing how close we could cut the corners. Inevitably this would end with me falling in the pool with my bike, but that is a story for another day.
One of our favorite games was "Marco. Polo" One person being "on", ie the person who was going to try and catch us all. The person was meant to have their eyes closed. The rest of us had our eyes open and could move about less inhibited. The person who was on, would call, "Marco" and wait for our response. . ."Polo" and then try locate us by the sound of our voice. The game usually was fun in the first few minutes until the person with their eyes closed swam into the wall. usually causing an abrupt ending to the game and combined with the start of angry tears.
Another version of this game was called "Blind Man's Bluff". We would usually play this indoors. I remember playing this often in the one bedroom of my neighbor's house. Again the person who was "on" couldn't see. This time to assist we would usually blind fold them. They would stumble and fumble around the room, trying to locate us, with their head held up at a strange angle as they tried to glimpse out from under the blindfold. Again this game usually ended in injury and tears, especially considering we often played in a room with a bunkbed in it. *rubs head soothingly at the memory*.
How often, as grown ups does life feel like this? When the hard times come? The darkness comes, we stumble and fumble about confused, bumping into things and releasing hot angry tears. I was sitting with a person yesterday, at the hospital where we work. She was waiting for an ambulance to bring her husband in. He had just been involved in a bad accident. She is Christian and one of her responses [which is one i myself have had before, and have heard many - if they are brave enough - voice]. She said this, "Kerri, is that what happens when you serve God?" They were angry words, mingled with hot flowing tears, her heart feeling broken and her mind confused.
Dark days come. There is no rhyme nor reason. They just come. It happens. some things are avoidable, but others just come out of nowhere, and are beyond our control. The truth is, its not just Christians who experience the dark days. Non Christians do to. We sometimes hope that as Christians we get a free pass from trouble. It isn't true. Jesus himself said, "in this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world."
I can't find an answer to tragedy or trauma or the "why" questions. I offer no explanations. All I can do, is encourage you to tear off the blind fold and switch on the light. In your darkest hours, don't stay fumbling about in the darkness, seek the light. Its our instinct in the natural. We walk into a dark room and flick the switch to turn on the light. We are driving down a dark road, we turn our lights on. The darker the road, the brighter we make our lights. There is a power outage, and we find a torch or candle. We instinctively look for the light.
In your dark times, don't let the unanswered questions, the uncertainties, the heartache, the bitterness/hurt/ anger etc keep you in the darkness. More than you normally would, in those times seek THE LIGHT!
For one thing i do know, and am confident in, is this....
Psalm 34:18 [in the NIV, MSG, Voice translations]
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there;
if you’re kicked in the gut, he’ll help you catch your breath.
When someone is hurting or brokenhearted, the Eternal moves in close
and revives him in his pain.
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