Greetings Dear Reader,
I wrote recently about learning of the passing of my father. One comment that I received has me pondering something. Every family has someone who is not what others wish them to be or who does things that harm that family. Sometimes the echoes linger on for generations. The darkness in families is painful and real even if it is not understood by others.
I know that I have caused darkness for my family. Some in my family see me as the dark side of the family. I have leaned much and do my best to turn that darkness into light. One of the things I have learned is that some, not all or even most, but some of it is perspective. I do not know the entire story behind who someone is. That story no matter what it is does not excuse bad behavior but it may cause me to be more compassionate toward that individual.
We all have a story and no one knows all of it. We are all on the same journey and we need each other desperately. When we relegate someone to the darkness, perhaps we limit that person’s chance to escape from it. We are to be a light to others and help them see the way by our grace, mercy, and love. It is hardest with family. The hurts caused by family are our hurts and we feel the pain that it costs to forgive those hurts.
The thing is that those hurts caused to me by others do not belong to me. They belong to Christ. He has redeemed those things to himself. Since Christ died for all sin he died for the ones committed against us. He has forgiven them and expects us to do the same. He expects us to love as he does. He expects us to count on him to heal our hurts. There is nothing for me to do but carry the light of Christ into the darkness wherever I encounter it.
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."
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My siblings and I each claim to be the dark sheep of our family. We each have different reasons, one of us walked away from the church our family had attended for decades, one chose a path that ended in a poor marriage, one won't talk about their dark but assures the rest that it's there.
ReplyDeleteMuch is a matter of perception, much depends on a certain point of view; to me, my dark sheep nature is very apparent, to my siblings it seems trivial.
What I find important is what we do with that nature, whether we wrestle and subdue or whether we let it dominate our path. As you say, wisely, whether we fight to turn darkness into light.
Wishing you much joy in your journey.