“Why did I agree to this?”
This was my thought as I was climbing (what felt like 1,000 stairs) while carrying an inner tube.
Of course I couldn’t say no to my son. The excitement in his eyes about going down a water slide with his Mom was priceless.
I had already gone down the slide that had an open top, but this one was enclosed. For some reason, he really wanted to go down that one.
“Mom, are you scared?!” He asked laughingly.
“Yes, parents can get scared too!” I responded playfully.
This kid had no fear. He definitely didn’t get that from me.
Once the lifeguard nodded that it was our turn to go, we pushed off from the bar and headed down the slide.
It was pitch black- and if it weren’t for the sound of water splashing, I would’ve had no sense of where we were.
“I can’t see anything!” I yelled.
My son yelled back, “I know, isn’t this fun Mommy?!”
Not even the slightest bit, I thought to myself.
“sure!” I laughed.
When will we see again? The darkness felt like forever.
In the book of Exodus, in the Bible, God sends plagues in order to deliver his people out of bondage from Pharoah. The ninth plague was the plague of darkness.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness will spread over Egypt – darkness that can be felt.” So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. No one could see anyone else or leave his place for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived. Exodus 10:21
Can you imagine being in complete darkness for 3 days? The Bible describes it as “darkness that can be felt.”
Some of us have been in darkness – darkness from depression or anxiety.
It’s kind of like being in that water slide – You can’t see the end, feeling trapped, blind and no light (hope).
If that is where you find yourself today, I am sorry. I know no one wishes to be there.
If you look back at Exodus 10 it says, “Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.” God cares about his people, and he cares about the lost. His warning here presents yet another opportunity for Egypt and for Pharaoh to see the error of its ways and to turn to Him repenting in humility.
If you keep reading though, you will find Pharaoh doesn’t repent and rejects the light, rejects God.
We can’t survive in a totally dark, chaotic world. God knew this when he separated light from dark when he created the world.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. Genesis 1:3-5.
So what do you do when you feel like you are in a dark, chaotic world, overtaken by depression and can’t get out of bed? Seek His Light.
At the water park, it was easy for me to go down the water slide that had an open top because I could see where I was going.
Even though BOTH slides were the same length and speed, It was harder for me to go down the one that was dark because I felt blind.
BUT The sun was shining down on both slides.
Just because you feel darkness doesn’t mean he isn’t shining down on YOU.
It wasn’t until I saw light again, as we shot out of the bottom of the slide into the water, that I felt my tension melt. I had been anxious the entire time I couldn’t see.
“Let’s do it again!” My son exclaimed.
Even though it wasn’t that fun, I knew what to expect now, and I knew the darkness wouldn’t last.
“Sure,” I said.
I’ve learned through the years that if you let God in on your darkest days, he can guide your steps and redirect your thoughts. His light can make you stronger and help you overcome anything!
