CHAPTER ONE

BLESSED IN THE DARK PLACES

When we think about what it means to be “blessed,” most of the timewe think of the good things that have happened to us. Perhaps our supervisor offered us a new position at work, and we were blessed with a promotion. We remember when our new baby was born, and how we were blessed with a child. Or we may have overcome an illness and been blessed with a return to good health. Blessings and good times go hand in hand. It’s easy to celebrate and have a grateful attitude when things are going our way.

But what about when we go through really difficult times? The company was downsizing, and we were laid off. Somebody walked out of a relationship with us, and now we have to start all over. Where are the blessings when we go through things we don’t understand?

I met a young lady who had been pregnant for five months with her first child. She had been so excited that she had already decorated the baby’s room, but something went wrong with the pregnancy, and she had a miscarriage. She was numb with grief, expressionless, in a dark place.

In 1981 my family thought we’d be celebrating the Christmas holidays together, enjoying fun and fellowship. Instead we learned that my mother had been diagnosed with terminal liver cancer and given a few weeks to live. It was a very somber Christmas. Is it possible that we can gain blessings in these times of darkness that we cannot gain in the light?

All of us at some point will go through a dark place—a sickness, a divorce, a loss, a child who breaks our heart. It’s easy to get discouraged,give up on our dreams, and think that’s the end. But God uses the dark places. They’re a part of His divine plan. Think of a seed. As long as a seed remains in the light, it cannot germinate and will never become what it was created to be. The seed must be planted in the soil, in a dark place, so that the potential on the inside will come to life. In the same way, there are seeds of greatness in us—dreams, goals, talents, potential—that will only come to life in a dark place.