Darkest night, Brightest Day

I'm considering shorter blogs on eternal hope. But I might get chatty. Every little step I take lately seems to be filled with thousands of little things. Most of them seem designed to test me. Make me mad, angry, resentful for having to go through this swampy time of life. Many seem designed to push my nerve, to see just how determined I am to keep going, to gain and lose everything time and again for the sake of learning something valuable in the end. I admit, there are times when I just want to lay in bed all day, and wish for the house to explode. I am working on building a hedge of protection around me, a shimmering glow of magical energy that will turn all things to golden hope when I look at them, when I persevere through whatever life hurls at me. So I come to this thought today.

The darkest night will test us more than any other night, but will often be followed by the brightest day we have yet lived.

I'm not going to say that this is always the case, but indeed, when you are left in utter darkness long enough, even the ordinary light seems brilliant. Which in the end, means that maybe our darkest nights are not always the darkest night that anyone will have to go through, just the darkest night we know of, or dare imagine. Our perspective counts for a lot. I've picked up a neat book, Norman Vincent Peale's Treasury of Joy and Enthusiasm. It's full of quotes and comments on joy, and enthusiasm, and how much living a life full of joy and enthusiasm helps those around you live lives of joy and enthusiasm. Even at the worst time in my life, I don't just pretend to put on a fake smile, I try to smile like the people I smile toward are worth smiling about. It may not make a difference to them, but I think it helps pull me out of my bad moods.

I've learned that life is probably going to be full of challenges, and countless moments of unspeakable troubles. But it allows us to show that we are children of God. Capable of using all the energy we can draw to ourselves to overcome any obstacle, any problem. Capable of changing our minds, then changing the world around us forever. Maybe the darkest night will be the one when you learn to shine, and the next day will dawn to find you rising triumphantly over the horizon casting light and hope to all who look in your direction, and blinding them with the brilliance of your soul.