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Sitting
in the darkness awaiting the light
I often start our One-on-One
Holy Listening session by saying, "I know your world feels very dark right now.
Let's just sit in the darkness and when you are ready, light this candle and let
it's light reach into your soul and start to heal some of the darkness." We sit
and sit and after a while, a teen will light the candle. For many of them it is
the first “light" they have felt for a long time. Often they cry when they light
the candle. Sometimes they start to talk and sometimes, we just sit there in
that light. When life is dark, light is what heals us. These candles of hope
symbolically bring God's light into some very dark and frightened worlds. The
presence of God in the radiant glow of a candle I have known candles are special: on a cake for a birthday, at the onset of Advent the candles of Hope, Love, Joy, Peace, and Christmas, on the table at a special formal dinner, when people gather for a time of prayer. Some of life’s most special moments are captured within the radiant glow of a candle. But my appreciation of candles deepened when I took the Blessing Based Spiritual Nurture class last Spring. Each and every time our class met, a candle was lit signifying the Presence of God in and among us. I never really experienced God in that way before. I had never known what a tiny beam of fire could do for my spiritual self. The special moments mentioned above and the way a candle added to them was evident more now than ever before. The peace of God came to me and became my blessing. Now whenever I see a candle burning I am reminded of a Bible verse discussed in class, Be Still and KNOW that I am God. I breathe in and am filled with the fragrance of peace and God’s presence. I am grateful for my experiences from the class. |
At
First Steps I work with children and teens who are hurting or in trouble. Many
of my teens are sent to me by school principals or angry parents because they
got into a fight at school, got caught drinking or taking drugs, or because they
were disrespectful. These teens often come to me feeling pretty "beat up." Many
times they are embarrassed or angry or are so sick of talking about their
problem that they don't feel like talking at all.