March 2010 Walking With Him Through the Darkness
I remember working in total darkness while serving in the Armed Forces as a photo lab technician. If you were working with original negative, you were in complete darkness. We worked 12-hour days for a couple of weeks at a time. It was very tiring working in darkness with the drone of the machines and the temperature usually above 80 degrees. To show someone something in the darkness, you had to take their hand and let them feel what you wanted them to “see,” or ask them to “listen” to try to discern the malfunctioning sound of the film processor. It was a very dangerous place with chains, sprockets, razor blades and slippery floors. Once, I remember coming out of the print room into the dark hallway and walking right into a cart. Instead of going out of the lab to take my break, I went into an empty room and sat there holding my nose, trying to stop the bleeding. I was too embarrassed to let anyone know what happened. Even though there were dangers, and you needed to work cautiously, you could function in the darkness and get the work done. However, it always felt good when we completed the mission and could come out into the light.
I have lots of stories of practical jokes that we pulled on people working in the darkrooms. You could sneak into a processing room and crinkle up some film. The operator would think he had a malfunction and run around the machine to feel what was going wrong. Occasionally, that would backfire and they’d shut the machine down and turn on the lights, forcing us to reprint and reprocess that roll of film. That was no fun at all! Turning on the lights should have been the last resort.
Sometimes God allows us to enter a season of darkness we don’t really understand or know our way around. It is often tempting to quit seeking or serving Him during that dark time. You may be plagued with self destructive thoughts: “Does anyone care whether I live or die?” or “I feel abandoned!” The Apostle Paul probably felt that way when he wrote, 2 Tim 4:10. Satan loves to take advantage of dark times and makes awful suggestions. Remember, he wants to “steal, kill and destroy” (John 10:10). Many people are going through a season of darkness with how the economy has affected them. It may include a loss of their retirement, business, career, home, or family, and for some, it may have included all of these.
For me, and many of my missionary associates, the down-turn has dramatically affected us. When making a fund raising call on a church, I may hear that their budget was reduced and they have needed to lay off staff. When calling on a businessman, I may hear that they are contemplating personal and business bankruptcy. When calling on an individual, I may find that they have just lost their job. The result is that I am left hurting for them, and at the same time, in the dark about who I can turn to for our financial support. (In the last couple of years, our support has dropped to just enough to cover our house payment with no reimbursements for ministry expenses.) It is a dark time, with a lot of hopeless and even self-destructive thoughts running though my head. I am guessing some of you may have had a similar experience.
The good news is that there is hope! While in a season of darkness, I believe God is testing us regarding our faithfulness. Yes, it is tempting to seek an escape from the darkness and somehow find relief, but I believe we would miss what God is doing in our lives. Dr. Tim Laniak in While Shepherds Watch their Flocks, says that, “the journey through the shadows purges the soul of its pride and earthly attachments.” We need to let God lead us through the hazards and dangers, and trust Him to develop our ability to function during a dark season. And having gone through the darkness ourselves, God may use us to help others through the dark times.
Here are some lessons from the darkroom:
• Don’t let the heat (pain of the circumstances) and the drone of the machines (worldly messages) cause you to disengage.
• Stay alert in the dark and learn to listen and discern (His voice).
• Don’t prematurely reach for the light switch (a quick escape) while in the dark.
• Commit yourself to learning to function in the darkness.
• Don’t sit in the dark alone to avoid embarrassment.
• Let someone (who has walked in darkness themselves) take you by the hand and help you.
• Don’t minimize or forget the lessons that come from walking in the darkness.
• Use your experiences to help someone else navigate the darkness.
• Stay alert in the dark and learn to listen and discern (His voice).
• Don’t prematurely reach for the light switch (a quick escape) while in the dark.
• Commit yourself to learning to function in the darkness.
• Don’t sit in the dark alone to avoid embarrassment.
• Let someone (who has walked in darkness themselves) take you by the hand and help you.
• Don’t minimize or forget the lessons that come from walking in the darkness.
• Use your experiences to help someone else navigate the darkness.
Above all, remember that God promises to be with us.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. Psalms 23:4 (NASB)
2 "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. Isaiah 43:2 (NASB)
2 "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. Isaiah 43:2 (NASB)
Don’t be afraid of the dark! It can produce positive results in your life.
Warmly In Him,
Sam & Kathy Johns
