From Darkness into Light

Postscript

I wanted to blog about living through the “dark night of the soul” as it has been my own experience this year. Last January I underwent a successful da Vinci robotic surgery for a stage 2 cancer on my right kidney. Coming up on the one year surgical anniversary, I’m able to reflect on the experience and what helped me. My wife and I presently have a house guest for six weeks. Each of us is a cancer survivor, with our guest, Nancy, dealing with the death of her beloved spouse, Joe,  from pancreatic cancer this year and  having just finished her own radiation. So, we are walking together in God’s light.

As I posted the blog today, I saw that I missed a voicemail from a coworker who called me again this evening to ask me to officiate at the funeral of her husband who died unexpectedly last Friday. She was home with him when he drew his last breath.  So, following my own instruction of “light the path of another,” I will be ministering at his funeral in Phoenix this week.

Behind the above events, lies another hidden grief  . . . that of an estrangement that I have with one of my sons and his family. Without pointing a finger at the cause, for which there can be many, estrangement creates its own grief, with a sense of helplessness.  Out of my own pain and grief I share with you what helps me. Hopefully, these things will help you discover God’s presence and his shining Kingdom within you amidst “your dark night of the soul.”  Part II of this message, omitted for brevity was “Share your light with others” as a part of your own healing. Now you have resources you can share. – Pastor Jim