Light amid Darkness

“Suffering is not the answer. Light is the answer.” -The Tale of Despereaux

During another small group time, Ira told us her story. 

“I was a Christian when I stayed with a Christian family in America for 3 weeks.  It was easy to be a Christian there; here it is impossible.”  

Ira

She’s totally right, I thought.  It’s easy for me to see God’s goodness, I have a loving family, friends, food, clothes, education, independence… Ira has abuse, fear, darkness, no hope or future, no one who cares for her and no place to go.  She’s trapped, vulnerable, and unprotected.  How do you see a good God amid all that?

Thank God for Liliya, one of our Ukrainian team members.  Picture bright, beautiful love of Jesus bundled up in one tiny, fierce Ukrainian girl. that's Liliya.  

She looked Ira in the eye and spoke earnestly that Jesus is light.  When He comes into your heart, He gives you light.  Now you are in darkness, but you have God’s light in you.  You are here to spread the light.

Liliya

During the evening concert, I stood in the back of the auditorium and looked over the 50-60 kids in the audience.  Wearing dirty and mismatched clothes, looking 2-4 yrs younger than they really were due to underdevelopment and malnutrition, thrilled at the games and lights and music, the little things we could bring to them.  Despair filled me.  These kids have so little… but God responded.  

“Don’t forget what these kids are getting when I give them myself.  I am truly all they need.”  

It sounds hypocritical and even cruel for me, a well provided for, materially content American to tell these starving and depraved children that God is all they need.  But who is this God?  In light of who He is and what he gives us, what else actually matters?  God promises His plan is good.  I must believe Him.  His thoughts are higher.  His ways are better.  Period.  

I have to look at His promises in light of eternity; if I see God according to this life only, He does look like a liar, but’s that’s being unfair!  How can I view an infinite God finitely?  Nothing will take His love from those who know Him.  That doesn't mean His love will prevent terrible things from happening- we live in a world of sin- but even during terrible things, God’s love cannot leave us, and that means everything.  He is enough.  

Look at Phil 3:8.  Paul, who suffered far more during his life than I can fathom, said with fervor, 

“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.”

One of our team members cried out to God, 

“I want to take these kids home!” and she felt God respond, 

“I need them here.  I need the best and the brightest to spread light.”

God is about bringing light INTO the darkness, not just separating light from darkness and allowing the darkness to stay dark.  I’ve seen many dark things this summer.  But, in a way, it was encouraging, because as miserable as a place was or as hopeless a situation, God knew about it far before I ever did.  Just because I am now more aware of the suffering of the world, doesn’t mean it didn’t exist before I knew.  And through it all God’s promises are true.  His goodness is overwhelming next to the suffering of the world, and if the suffering is so great, imagine how much greater His goodness is.

Eph. 5:8 “…at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.”