Listen

But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness.

1 Thessalonians 5:4-5

Think

Psalm 30 says, “Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes in the morning.” Saint John of the Cross, a 16th century Christian mystic, composed a poem dubbing these spiritual deserts “The Dark Night of the Soul.” The poem so influenced later Christians, that even Mother Teresa described her own spiritual struggles in the same way. Doubt, fear, unresolved anger, lack of forgiveness, lack of love for self, perpetual isolation, and separation from God can all be markers of this kind of spiritual night.

The reality is, our faith is often tested, and we walk through our own dark nights, wondering if and when the light of day will ever shine brightly again. Even when we are in the dark, we are reminded that we are already people of the day. The day of the Lord comes not to surprise us, but to comfort us. We do not have to wait in fear for the Lord’s arrival. Instead we wait with great hope. Weeping may linger for a season, and the dark night may sometimes prevail, but you are a person of the light.

Jeanell Cox

Pray

God of light, help me to wait for morning joy with excitement, knowing that you have created me to be a person of the light. Thank you for your light in me. Help me to shine brightly when I can and to remember even when I cannot that your light has not left me and will shine again. Amen.

Go

Go in the light, living as a person of the day, including all those around you and yourself in the circle of God’s love. Anticipate the joy of God’s good work in you and in the world. Watch and wait with hope. Amen.