Isaiah 45:7 “I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things.”
On the big island of Hawaii, there is a volcanic mountain called Mauna Kea. It is the only place in the world where you can drive from sea level to 14,000 feet. It rises so high that it often reaches high above the cloud cover. It is one of the best star gazing locations in the world. There is a visitor’s center at the 9,000 foot level where there are powerful telescopes where one can view the amazing sky that God created. I recently had the blessing of being able to visit this beautiful place. On our drive up this mountain, we were surrounded by clouds and flashes of lightening. The closer we were to our destination, the sky drew darker and even more threatening. We even considered turning around, disappointed that our view would be obstructed. We decided to drive on. We put our faith in what the brochure had promised. The brochure stated that the visitor center is usually higher than the clouds at least ninety percent of the time.
When we arrived at the visitor’s center and exited our car, we were surrounded by the darkness of the night. It was hard to see what was right in front of you. Then we did what everyone else on that mountain was doing. We looked up! The blackness of the sky dominated my view. Slowly, as we continued to look upward, each star made their presence known. In time, everywhere you looked, the blackness of the sky seemed to become the perfect background for the glittering of the stars in the sky. What a beautiful sight it was. I am reminded that God used the darkness of the night and sprinkled the brightness of the stars to create the beauty of the night. Without the darkness there would be no light. We can’t have one without the other.
This Thursday is a day we set aside to be thankful. Some of us might be asking, “Thankful? Thankful for what? I have just lost my child.” Maybe this year, a thankful heart is hard to find. We have all had those dark times. Our lives, just like the evening sky are sprinkled with times of darkness and times of prosperity and serenity. God is ruler over all. We need both of these times in our lives to help create the beauty within us. If you find it is hard to be thankful this Thanksgiving, take a step outside and look up into the sky. The darkness of your grief might be all you can see right now. In that dark place there is the light of your child shining brightly. Their life was taken from us here on earth, but in their death they have left us so much. They have given us a deeper appreciation of the importance of living as we see how instantly it can be taken from us. They have given us an understanding of true compassion for others and they gave us their love. I for one would never trade the pain of grief for the gift of having my daughter. You see, I can’t have one without the other.
Lord, this time of Thanksgiving, there are at least two things we can be thankful for, Your love and the gift of our child.
– Michele
