Faith in Our Darkest Hours

A dark night of the soul is a period of despair, loss, trial, failure or frustration that feels as if it will destroy you.  During these times, we often feel as if we are being torn asunder, that we can’t bear to go on.  It is in those moments when we are at our lowest that we are challenged to answer two questions.  Firstly, do we care to live, and secondly, if the answer is in the affirmative, exactly how do we want to live.  Once we have made that decision, the gift of the dark night of the soul begins to unfold in our lives, for “Only those who know darkness can truly appreciate light; only those who acknowledge darkness can even see the light.”

A dark night of the soul is not the end, but the beginning.  The beginning of a new life full of potentials still unknown.  A dark night is a time of catharsis, an unveiling of the truth of your spirit, a time where old, outmoded thoughts and behaviors are stripped away, revealing long hidden wounds to our soul that need healing.  It is one of life’s inevitable valleys, a place that is perfect for you to do as Viktor Frankl wrote in Man’s Search for Meaning, which is “to transform a personal tragedy into a triumph, to turn one’s predicament into a human achievement.” 

In our darkest hours, our faith in the goodness of life will light the way.  Nothing lasts forever, and that includes your current challenges. 

Today, I will remember that it is always darkest before dawn.  I ask for the willingness to see the light in the shadow.