Life Glows in the Dark

It is good to see you all this week. There has been a lot of darkness and pain in the news. The horrendous tragedy in Virginia Beach and continued battles over abortion, trade, and foreign policy continue to dominate the headlines. Perhaps, like myself, you have personal darkness enveloping your life. You can’t see where you are going or what ti do next. Life is hopeless, pointless and useless. Life glows in the dark though. What do I mean by that?

Are you familiar with glowsticks? They are used in tactical operations and in emergencies when power goes out. Maybe you have used the kind for parties which glow in an array of colors. In each instance, you have to break them for them to glow up. They also shine brightest when it is the most dark. You would not see warm, radiating glow in the daylight. Well, that is how life work. Our chance to warmly glow is after we have snapped and are in darkness.

Death and sorrow are unavoidable. They are, however, not unbeatable. When you continue to care for others and love them in the midst of misery and tragedy, you are glowing. People in search of light, love and life will flock to you like moths to a flame. Things just don’t become bearable, they become meaningful again. You all realize the beautiful things of life are even more important. Family is important. Friends are important. Love is important.

I am not suggesting that you will find joy instantly or even any sliver of hope. That is a journey which takes time, and you have to be patient with yourself. I am suggesting, rather pleading to you, that your life has value even when every circumstance around you tries to suggest otherwise. Our world is filled with some very nefarious forces, ones well beyond our realm of full sight or understanding. Their purpose is the destruction of life, light, love and all meaning or purpose. Your value is so far beyond them, far beyond what you realize.

You have the ability to dream, create and restore. No other creature does. You do. Do not take that lightly. It is a tremendous responsibility but also the greatest honor. Even after senseless tragedies, cruel indifference and bitter agony ensue, you are able to find ways to love and build back up. Start looking for those ways today. You have no idea how much your efforts mean to someone else. They are invaluable, just like you.

“The most authentic thing about us is our capacity to create, to overcome, to endure, to transform, to love and to be greater than our suffering.”  ~ Ben Okri

Image by 3402744 from Pixabay