The Gift of Emptiness

          I think it’s part of our nature to want to know, to be certain, to be full and sure of things. We do need a certain amount of clarity, knowing and substance in order to function in life.  Yet there are times when events, people, situations, transitions,  failures and even successes in life bring us to the edge of the Dark Wood...where we find ourselves not knowing, not being certain, sensing an emptiness inside…that dark place where all we can do is put one foot in front of the other and trust that grace will prevail. It is a difficult place and yet, in hindsight, we see it as a place of growth and transformation as well.                 

                God does not put us in these situations or cause them. Rather, life happens. Choices are made. People struggle in ways that we don’t even know about, and find themselves in the Dark Wood.  If you have ever been there, you know this Dark Wood place. What kept you going when you were in this place? What insights or graces did you become aware of during or after that time?  How did God find you there?

                None of us wants to be in this place of uncertainty and emptiness...and yet it is from these challenging and often painful times that new life begins. And all the while, whether we notice it or not, God is with us there, loving us beyond our wildest imaginations...loving us even when we cannot...and, in time, bringing life even when we cannot fathom it. 

We are not alone, not ever. Thanks be to God. Amen.               

Trust, Faithfulness, Courage, Love and Lenten Blessings for this journey.

  ~ Rev. Jan

 * My thanks to Rev. Jenn Swanson for words and inspiration woven into this article.