The Dark Side

    One day after work I was standing in my doorway and suddenly I was keenly aware of the atmosphere in my home.  It wasn't right.  It wasn't terrible, or frightening, or deep and dark, but it wasn't right.  I began to pray, and was reminded of the things that have happened to my family in the last few years, and how we have handled them.  The recession has hit us all.  Most of the members of my family have lost their jobs, and though they are working on changing and improving their lives, it is obvious that the lack of finances has hit us in more than just financial ways.  I had begun to notice the negativity that has just crept in - silent, invisible and deadly, like carbon dioxide.  There was a sort of 'down in the dumps' look in the heart of the members of my family and of myself as well.  There was little we had done about it because we hadn't noticed it creep in.  We had started to gripe, complain, and fuss about most things.  We began to see negative aspects of each other and most other things.  We had forgotten to be grateful.  We had forgotten to thank God.  Now all looked so bleak.  My family was increasingly watching depressing, subtly dark, or violent movies or documentaries on the television.  This activity alone was glaring evidence of our falling into "The Dark Side". It was making us feel more comfortable with negative talk, and being harsh with one another.  The atmosphere had definitely changed.  I felt as though I had become an apathetic observer, and then participant, at least in the complaining.  We had entered the dark side.  We had become like zombies walking into the darkness of doubt and depression. 
     Well, things had to change.  The atmosphere in our house needed to be cleaned out so that all the negativity and darkness of disappointment could be removed.  Our minds needed to have the cobwebs swept out.  I began to pray and to faithfully read scripture out loud in my house.  I began to ask God to help me to remind my family members of the many blessings that we live under everyday. We are blessed with a place to live, food to eat, a car to drive, and money to pay our bills.  Everyone has gotten into college again, and is doing well.  There are no extras like eating out, but eating at home has meant that we see each other at the table again.  There are no vacations, but we get to sit out in our backyard and enjoy the sunshine together.  We can't pay one of the neighborhood boys to do our yard work, but working on it together has been surprisingly rewarding.  Our bills aren't always on time, and they may not be the amount we'd like to pay, but we are able to pay something on each one. 
     God was and is with us in the midst of our trials.  We had forgotten to be thankful and to expect God to be faithful as we seek him and his grace.  We had forgotten that our wants have often exceeded our need.  We go to church, but we didn't reach for him in our lack.  We love the Lord, but we weren't talking to him as though we were close.  We didn't act as though we thought He knew what we were going through.  He cares.  He cares so much that He sent His only son.  He delivered us from sin, darkness, and the terror of the last days.  He had already made preparation for us.  He said He would make for us an oasis in the desert, a place of hope in the time of need, a tower of safety in troubled times.  He has done what he said.
     We regularly donate clothing, food, toys, books, etc to shelters and families in need.  God has repaid us with more than enough, and though bills are tight and maybe not as timely as we would like to pay them, they are getting paid, little by little.  God is here.  He has always been.  He promised never to leave nor forsake us.  He is true to his word.  We ask and we receive, we seek help, and it is found.  We knock on the door of mercy, and it is open to us.  We must certainly do our part, but sometimes doing our part means sitting still and opening our minds to faith.  When we dust out the cobwebs from our minds and begin eliminating doubt, fear, anger, disappointment, dispair, and hopelessness, we can begin to see hope, victory, guidance, healing, and  a path to move forward on.  God is with us.  He has not forsaken us.  We just forgot to "lift our eyes to the hills from whence our help cometh".  We know it comes from the Lord.  
     Heavenly Father You are awesome in all your ways.  We thank you for your grace and mercy.  You are the joy of our lives and the hope of our soul.  You are the light who guides our path and directs our future.  You are our all in all.  We hope and trust in You.  Without you all is lost.  With you, all of our tomorrows are secure.  There is no place of safety in the world, but there is a hiding place in your love which we can find when we call your name. There we find shelter in a storm, healing in an epidemic of dispair, and life in a dying world.  Our shelter, our rock is Jesus, the Christ.   We run to the rock of our salvation because we know that you are able.  When all around us fails, we run to the rock.  When all seems dark and bleary, we run to the rock.  We know that there is safety in the rock.  We know that there is peace in the rock.  We find light, hope, and faith in the Rock.  We know that you are able to deliver us from the troubles.  You are able Lord.  We thank you for our own personal space in the rock.  We thank you for loving us.  In Jesus name we pray, Amen.