Between Light and Dark

I was standing outside in my alleyway early yesterday morning, the sun having just risen above the horizon. Fog filled the town, making it impossible to see what lurked just down the road. As I looked one way, the alley was dark and creepy, no light to be found. Turning in the other direction, despite the fog, it was bright and beautiful.

How many times have we seen ourselves in this exact position either emotionally or spiritually? How many times have we been in that fog?

Quite often in our lives, especially when going through something difficult like a serious illness in ourselves or our loved ones, or when faced with a difficult decision - a possible turning point in our lives - we find that we're standing right in the middle of a fog. We can't see what is down the road. We don't know if it will lead to death, loss of a job, more problems, or if it will lead to recovery, a better job, a great outcome.

We can stand still on some things, not risking the trip through the fog. For example, if you're considering a divorce or change of occupation - many people will just stay put, not traveling down that road. They choose not to risk what frightening things might be lurking within the fog. Other things, we have no choice but to trek onwards. If we, or someone we love, has cancer for example... this isn't something you can just stand still for. The cancer is still there, still progressing, still forcing you into the unknown.

But as I was standing in that alley, looking from one direction to the next, my son (who was with me at the time) made a comment about how strange it looks - hell on one side, heaven on the other. And it did. No, not the fiery hell we think of, but rather the dark and lonely unknown kind of hell we sometimes feel we live in. And the other side wasn't the bright, clear, angels singing kind of heaven. Rather, it was a bright, comforting, warm unknown.

In both cases, the future couldn't be seen. The path was shrouded in a dense fog. Most of our lives are this way. We cannot predict what's going to happen - good or bad. But when we choose to walk in the light - when we choose to walk with Christ - while the future may still be unknown, we know we are not alone. God is there with us, surrounding us in His light and love and peace.