A resource for devastation

I just returned from speaking at a weekend retreat at Lake Ann Camp in Michigan. A highlight for me was to hear women’s stories of what God is doing in their lives, but, most often, woven within the threads of God’s activity, is deep pain.

One of the ladies crocheted while she waited for the session to begin, and it made me think about the colors God weaves in as he knits His plan for our lives together.

The dark and the light.

The dark that makes the light pop.

The dark that recedes when it’s next to the light.

Color stands out when its opposite force is present. While seemingly working against it, the opposing color actually makes the other even more visible, purposeful, and - eventually - beautiful.

But what if God doesn’t seem to be at the light part yet in the crocheting of my life? Someone I admire for her reaction to the dark pain that came into her life, is Carol Kent. Her book When I Lay My Isaac Down, tells the story of redemption through tragedy, even though the tragedy lingers and is life-long. If you’re walking through loss, grief, and ongoing trials, When I Lay My Isaac Down might be your guide like a flashlight in the dark.

“The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5