Darkness is overcome by light

I am being inundated with bad news. Yesterday a good friend called and told me he lost his mother-in-law in the past few days. Apparently she was in excellent health, “strong as a horse” according to him. His father-in-law’s health, (her husband) is terrible and rapidly failing and everyone had been expecting him to go at any time, but instead his mother-in-law died unexpectedly in the night. My buddy and his wife are now faced with caring for the father-in-law and they are facing the difficult choice of having to put him into an assisted living facility as his wife had previously been the one taking care of him. Compounding the problem they had been married some 65 years and understandably the father-in-law is devastated and taking it very hard.

Later that day another close friend called and told me he had been on an extended business trip and when he returned home his wife and small son were gone. His wife is filing for divorce and making serious allegations that are untrue in an effort to win custody etc in what appears to be heading towards a nasty battle. This was unexpected and he is totally devastated. He has no idea if his wife has found someone new or what her motivation is. This guy absolutely worships his little son and particularly at this time of year he is devastated.

Life can be tough, can it not? The Bible tells us that our days will be short and full of trouble. Unfortunately there is no way to escape the storms of life. It does rain on the righteous just like the unrighteous and we all experience these times in our lives. When rain spoils a picnic we get frustrated, discouraged, and angry, but rain is a necessary ingredient for our very existence. It serves no purpose to get mad because it rains and the same holds true for the storms of life. According to the Bible the trials and tribulations that we experience are a necessary ingredient in our lives. As difficult as it is to understand we must accept this as an axiom of life. We should spend our days searching for positive solutions to negative situations and not lamenting the fact that we have to undergo them.

One thing sure, Jesus stands ready to help. The most positive thing about serious problems is that we naturally draw closer to God during times of trouble. We are promised in the Bible that if we draw close to God He will draw close to us and be right there with us as we weather the storm. Now that is a good thing and perhaps one of the primary reasons God allows storms to enter our lives! There is no need to walk in darkness when light is available. Take advantage of the light when faced with dark situations.

John 8:12
I am the light of the world.
He who follows me shall not walk
in darkness, but have the light of
Life.