The dark times are the best time to see the grace of God. It is the best place to become the person of greatness," as said by Tim Keller.
It is easy to obey God when everything is in our favor. However, during challenging times, it is more difficult to find our worth as a person and love ourselves. It is also easy to love people when they are at their best, but it is more challenging to love them in their brokenness. During these dark times, we often pray and speak foolishly out of desperation. We all face difficult seasons of hopelessness and wilderness. If you are experiencing this now, you will undergo pruning and molding. But rest assured that your restoration will come in due time. You will realize how gracious God is as a father to his children. As Keller said, "I am your God not because you say everything right or you do everything right. I am God because I am the God of grace."
Reading the book of John reminded me of who Jesus is and how He endured everything so that whoever believes in Him will have a new life filled with grace. Jesus performed miracles in desperate lands, found the lost, washed feet, fed thousands of people, and met invalids, blind, and lame. He fought injustice, loved, never condemned anyone, and wept with his friends. Despite all of this, He was accused, mocked, hated, afflicted, oppressed, betrayed, murdered, and crucified. He was forsaken by His Father and bore all the consequences of our sins. But through it all, He loved us unconditionally. He experienced and endured darkness for us, if Jesus Christ didn't abandon you in his darkness, why would he abandon you right now? We deserved nothing from him but we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.
During the dark seasons of our lives, we should pour out our questions to God and look to Jesus, who already did everything on the cross. We are never alone, and we can come to Him because of what Christ did on the cross, not because of our good works. We are all living in a broken world with flawed human beings, and we all experience suffering and grief to a different extent. However, the resurrection of Jesus gives us hope, healing, true belongingness, and redemption from the dark season. Our dark phases also give us the opportunity to be transformed into better versions of ourselves, to be more like Christ if we walk in faith and obedience.
He alone can fix you and me.
20 Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. 23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name
John 16:20-23
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world your will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.
John 16:33
