In the darkness

There is an old proverb, first recorded by Thomas Fuller, "The darkest hour is just before the dawn." The dawn is the beginning of a new day when everything is fresh and born anew. When we look east each morning and see the sunrising, we always know that we can begin again. There was a time when the whole world would look East to welcome each new day. Even in the darkest of days when the castles that have been built in the sand are on fire and the tide is coming in, people still looked East. Why look to the sunrise and the East though? The answer is a simple act of faith, but not faith in a man or a woman. We look to the sunrise because the One who created the whole of the universe wrote into our hearts hope in a new day. Hope not in a person, but just Hope. Hope in the darkness as freshly lite candle begins to glow brighter. Hope is not an abstract idea, as the sunrise reminds us. The sunrise is not abstract it is concrete and very real, hope is real as well. In the darkest hour the world has ever known Hope showed us a new light. In the hour humanity committed deicide, Hope stepped forward and took the strips for our sins. In the darkness Hope stood up and allowed Himself to be nailed to the cross. We are given a sunrise to remind us that after the darkness of the night, Hope has risen. People look east the Son has risen; Hope has risen.

To day is the very beginning of the sunrise. Christmas is the day when the Light came into the world to shine for all. Some choose not to see the Light, others only want to see parts of the Light so it is easy and not bright enough to change their lives. Others look straight into the Light and everything changes. Once we look fully into the Light nothing can ever be the same. Everything burns with a fire bright reflecting the Light. In the darkest night we become the lights reflecting the only real Light in the universe. Shine on the world around you.

It has been a long time.......

It has been a long time, since I have written anything in these musings. I will try to do better. Now that the house keeping is finished........

The Saturday past I had the great pleasure to see Great Big Sea in concert in Minneapolis. In today's rush rush society, where everything is wanted to be my way right away, the idea of slowing down and enjoying life is lost. The old wore down reminder, "Stop and smell the roses." There is more to this than an old saying, it is a way of life. When you slow down and allow your stress to subside life becomes a joy rather than a burden. Life is worth living, not a rush to the grave. Great Big Sea is a group that lives this out in their music and performances. They are out there performing for the audience and for the music. They are doing what they love and loving each day of what they do. In the performance they brought the petals of the music they carry with them and gently sprinkle them on the heads of all those listening.

It is not a complex idea. Take time to do what you enjoy and life is better. Do not just spend all of your time working and worrying. I am not advocating laziness, rather joy. Life is worth living. True joy does not come from money or power. True joy comes when we come to know the One who loves us and made us for Himself. The only source of true joy is Him. Want joy in life come to know the One who is Joy.