It's Darkest Just Before The Dawn

I had to get up this morning about an hour or so before the breaking of the dawn.  As I stood in the bedroom loft, I spent a few moments gazing out the various tall windows in our living room and stairwell.  What caught my attention was the dark shadows of an oak tree protruding through a window against the wall near our piano, the neighbors roofline silhouetted against the darkness, and the trail of low wattage lighting that follows the pathways around the cluster homes in our little community.  The thought that arose in me was the old saying that “The darkest hour is just before the dawn.”

I had to chuckle a little at this point as this is exactly the position that I have found myself in over the past few weeks.  Many of the goals that we have been working on are finally coming to a point of reality, but the timing is getting critical.  Will everything come together at the right time?   Will all the puzzle pieces fall into their perspective places as the deadlines arrive???  When will we see the first signs of the new day appearing over the eastern horizons?

I did a little research on that old saying that I thought of early this morning, and it seems that it has been around since at least the 1600’s.  The first known individual to put it to print was an English theologian and historian by the name of Thomas Fuller.  He penned “It is always darkest before the day dawneth” in his religious travelogue “ A Pisgah-Sight of Palestine And The Confines Thereof “ in the year 1650.  The source of the proverb is not really known although some think that it originated with an old Irish ballad.

From this bit of information, we can deduce that mankind has been faced with this dilemma for many hundreds of years.  I am fairly sure that you may even have faced this situation… In fact, some of you might be in the midst of it right now.  Maybe you are not standing in a dark room looking out at the inky blackness, but in your mind's eye, this sight is very vivid.  The question is, how will you deal with this condition?  Most people come through these times unscathed while some fall short of the morning light.  Many years ago I had a friend and fellow co-worker commit suicide when a situation that he found himself involved with turned ugly.  Just as things were looking better for him, another event arose where he thought that the original incident might be reopened and he panicked and took his life.  The sad part is that the thing that he feared the most did not occur, and had he hung in there just a little longer, his life would have had a fresh beginning.  He left a wonderful young widow behind.

What is the answer?  For me the answer relates back to my personal belief system and foundation.  As I continued to read through the book of Colossians, when I got up for the second time this morning, the first verse that I read said it all.  Colossians 3:1 states: “Since you were brought back to life with Christ, focus on the things above – where Christ holds the highest position.”  (Gods Word ©)  Just like I’ve talked about in past postings, all I have to do is keep my eyes on the Light, that always overcomes the darkness.  It may be black right now, but as long as I keep my eyes on my foundation, I can relax and even chuckle again, because I am assured that the dawn light will arise at the right time and at the right place, just when I need it!

So why let the darkness prevail over you.  Do as I did this morning and after glancing at the spooky shadows, look to the lights on the pathways, illuminating to me the way to the answers that I am expecting to receive!  Stay tuned and keep asking yourself… “What are you expecting today?”