Insights for Daily Living
Shining Light Into The Darkness
THE BEGINNING
Life on this earth can be really unfair, you know? It’s like it never cuts us any slack or lets us just chill out and relax. And to make things worse, it’s always throwing surprises at us, and not all of them are good. It’s especially tough for those of us who have been through some really tough stuff. We didn’t ask for it, we didn’t deserve it, and we definitely didn’t bring it upon ourselves. But somehow, it still happened.
When I was growing up, my family was all about Christianity. My parents were super loving and took care of us really well. But what they really wanted was to guide us, me and my two older brothers, towards the Lord. So, every Sunday, we would go to church. We had Sunday school in the morning and then the regular church service, and another church service in the evening. I actually liked going to church, I never felt like I didn’t want to go. I had some really good Sunday school teachers, the ones I can remember. Oh, and there was this thing called Vacation Bible School (VBS) that I really loved. It was so much fun! We got to do crafts, sing songs, play games, and listen to interesting Bible stories. The teachers would use these special flannel graphs to tell the stories. (Before computer generated stuff like we have today. This was old school). They had these little figures and objects made out of colored flannel, and they would stick them on a board to make the story come to life. It was like watching a 3D movie, but with flannel! It was really fun and kept our attention, and I still have the little New Testament Bible they gave us. I treasure it even after all these years. And you know what? Those two amazing ladies who ran the VBS would even send us birthday postcards every year with a special note written in really tiny handwriting. You had to squint to read it, but it was worth it because they always had a wonderful message about the gospel.
This was the kind of life I grew up in and wished to pass along to our boys. This is the beginning of the story, a story that I thought would just be a beautiful, happy one. And yet, tragedy hit, like it often does. The question is, what will we do when life throws a curve ball? And, where did that curve ball come from? In Shining Light into the Darkness I will explore all of these questions and more.
Trusting God When Everything Goes Wrong
Joseph’s Story
When bad things happen, it’s easy to blame God and wonder why He would allow it. I had the same questions when my friend Nathan died. But I found comfort and answers in God’s Word, just like Joseph did in the Old Testament.
Joseph’s Dark Days
Joseph had a tough life. His brothers were jealous of him and sold him as a slave. He ended up in a dirty prison, not because he did something wrong, but because he did something right. Despite all the hardships, Joseph remained a good person.
Remembering God’s Promises
At the beginning of Joseph’s story, he had a dream. The dream was a promise from God that Joseph would be elevated above others. Even when everything went wrong, Joseph held onto this promise. When we face difficult times, we should also remember the promises of God.
Standing on God’s Promises
Instead of giving up when life gets tough, we should stand on God’s promises. When our son Nathan died, it felt like our world had fallen apart. But by turning to God’s Word, we found hope and strength. Even when it felt like nothing was happening, reading the Bible reminded us that God is faithful and loves us. Writing down verses from the Bible in my journal became a source of comfort and a reminder that God is always with us, no matter what.
