Day 14 - The Dark Night of the Soul
When I read Rick’s statement this morning that every Christian will experience the dark night of the soul at least once in their lifetime, I laughed. It was the “at least” part that made me laugh. We spend about a third of our lives sleeping at night. And I think I have spent “at least” a third of my spiritual life in the dark night of the soul.
And I always find Jesus most comforting during those times. The cross teaches me that God suffers too. The words of Jesus remind me that being honest with God about how I feel is always the best way to connect with him. The reaction of his friends helps me to remember that the people who love me most will try to understand but might not be able to. And Jesus’ reaction to his friends gives me an example of grace. Ultimately, the resurrection gives me a reason to hope.
Let’s talk about the dark night of the soul.
April 30th, 2007 at 8:19 am
I must admit, I am so thankful to have found a church that does not flinch from the dark side of spiritual life. One of the major things that turned me off to Christianity in the past was the “We’re so freaking happy” syndrome. So many Christians came at me with this huge grin pasted on their face, talking about the perfect bliss of Christ, and all I could think was, “Who are you trying to convince - me or yourself?”
Nothing is that simple. Its no surprise in our culture of quick fixes that we look for a fast food spirituality. If we can take a pill for every ailment, and microwave a meal in seconds, and find instant gratification in every other area of our lives - why not spirituality? Why not take a dunk and pretend our lives will be perfect forever after.
Why not? Because some things must be earned. Because pain and adversity make us stronger and wiser. Because God wants us to grow and thrive, even when it hurts. After a long cold winter, do we not know the bliss of springtime all the more?
Thank you, Rob (and Rick), for talking about the dark night of the soul. My heart says, “Yes, this is real.” We will not pretend there is some easy, quick fix to the problem of our seperation from God. We will simply put our feet upon the path back to Him, and we will bear the pain of that journey as proof that we are on the right path. We will bear eachother up and encourage eachother, but we will never belittle or deny that pain.
April 30th, 2007 at 9:56 am
Amen! I’m so thankful that we’ve got people to share the load and be honest with.
April 30th, 2007 at 10:22 am
I agree with Daniel, it is not always clear or easy, but Jesus is with us
May 1st, 2007 at 8:16 am
Being new at this, I am so relieved to read about the dark night of the soul and to read everyone’s comments. I thought it was me! I thought, I’m new, I’ve lost this feeling. What am I doing wrong? What do I do to get it back? Why does he feel so distant? Have I lost something with God that I had before? Phew!
Before I was a believer, I thought Christians were these freaky, Stepford-ian Wives sort of people (similar to what Robin mentioned) with plastered, happy smiles; people who ignored the real pains of life. Silly heathen, I was. Life is much more challenging now than it was before accepting Christ. And part of that challenge is the silence of God. I like how Warren describes the baby Christian. In the beginning (which was not that long ago) I was floating on the emotions. At that time, I wasn’t quite sure why we all weren’t shiny, happy people. I even thought, Crap, I’m one of those freakish Stepford-ian Wives like people, but who cares if I feel like this! And then, it started to dissipate.
I really needed to read that, “Faith, not feelings, pleases God.” And I needed to hear what you guys think about all this. I am relieved, and grateful to be “growing up” with all of you.