It was dark and the moon light was shining on the the trees. The movements of the neem tree adjacent to the coconut tree caught my attention. That was how I spotted the Barbet in the above photograph. It surprised me beyond measure that it was the movement that alerted me of the presence of a bird while it was still dark.
The passage I read from the Bible later in the morning was from the Old Testament Book of Isaiah, Chapter 45. verse 3: 'And I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden wealth of secret places, in order that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel who calls you by your name'!
My attention was drawn by the phrase, 'treasures of darkness'!
My attention further turned to the events that took place in the darkness of the night, during the season of birth of Jesus of Nazareth in Bethlehem. Let me share three thoughts arising from my view of those three events.
1. Visitation in the darkness
Some shepherds were watching over their flock probably not too far from Bethlehem. The announcement of the birth of Jesus came to the shepherds in the night, 'Do not be afraid, for behold I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all people; for today in the city of David, there has been born for you as Saviour who is Christ the Lord' (Luke 2: 8-14).
Anything in the night while shepherds watch over their flock can be frightening. Often they are asleep but vigilant! In the darkness of the night when they were in the vigilant slumber, came the flashing of a bright light, a voice and a choral singing. The frightened shepherds went in haste to seek for the baby and found him in manger and having found the baby they spread the news about the birth of Jesus.
That was how the shepherds became the good news bearers of the birth of Jesus. The frightened shepherds remind us of the awful experiences we might have been through in the dark hours of our lives. The darkness is a symbol of all that can be difficult, trying and tempting in our lives. The darkness is also a metaphor of pain, grief, disappointment, doubt, sense of failure or being let down!
It was then, when we look back, we might recall how a message of hope or loving attention from someone we know or from a stranger or a text or a song we read or heard or a sudden flash of a new awakening rescued us from the deepening anguish and turned our attention to the purpose of that dark hour or experience in our lives. It was as though, the darkness was the needed setting in which a message of hope could reach us!
This is what I shall refer to as a Visitation in the darkness! Therefore darkness or lonely times or sorrowful experiences are the settings we might have to endure for us to be led into a new level of consciousness of the purpose beyond the darkness we endured!
2. Journey Through darkness
The second event that held my attention, which took place in the darkness during the first Christmas was what happened to the three wise men. The wise men from the east came searching for Jesus to Jerusalem, by following the star in the east (Mat 2:1-3). The wise men having been guided by chief priests went on to Bethlehem, guided by the star, 'the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them, until it came and stood over where the child was' (Mat.2:9). The wise men rejoiced exceedingly with great joy on seeing Jesus in a manger.
I remember hearing a theologian suggesting that the wise men slept during the day and walked in the night guided by the star in the east. It was the darkness that gave them the sight of the star to follow and arrive at Bethlehem to meet the the new born Jesus. The darkness provided the journey path.
Often we night be called to walk through the dark, disturbing, painful, lonely or traumatic experiences till we find our destination of hope, peace and new direction in life. The destination might not be clear to us while we traverse through the trying experiences of life. It is perseverance and endurance of the dark hours of our lives which might lead us to find the purpose that was hidden in the darkness.
I remember having had to walk through a dark phase in my life during the last one year when I was made to feel that, 'my time as a professional was over and it was time to hand over' to someone else. I felt let down and rejected and made feeble steps forward waiting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. At the end of year, I feel surprised by where I have arrived. It was perhaps the best season to have discovered new prospects and ways of working! While walking through the darkness of loneliness and grief, I seem to have arrived at a new level of professional insight and clarity about different aspects of neuro-developmental disorders in children. Yes, there were treasures hidden in the darkness.
Journeying through darkness is the only way to arrive at the Bethlehem of our experience where we shall find God revealing Himself !
3. Darkness is a hiding place
The third event that took place in the darkness associated with the first Christmas was the flight of Joseph, Mary and Jesus to Egypt (Mat 3:13-15). When Joseph was told in a dream to flee to Egypt in a dream, to escape from Herod who decided to kill all boys under two years, Joseph 'arose, and took the child and His mother by night and departed to Egypt' (v14). The night journey in winter for an infant was hazardous, but the safety of the baby Jesus was hidden in the darkness. The darkness protected Jesus.
Often most of us, when we are caught in difficult experiences, the temptation is to become weary while moving through the season of despair or disappointment. I remember saying to myself, 'I wish it could have been different' when I was going through a difficult time two weeks back! It was an anxiety regarding the NABH inspection! We had only an improvised security for children in the staircase in the adding space to the arrival hall and not safe fixtures. The NABH team complimented us for making the safety good enough and artistic enough to add to the colourful ambience of the arrival hall and included us in the list of few departments who were ready for the final inspection. It was after waiting for long for permanent fixtures and it not coming our way, we improvised the temporary safety measures for children. There was no one to turn to seek help as those whom we requested for help was not forthcoming to respond as they were otherwise occupied and overloaded with lots of work. It was a genuine situation where we could only wait. The despair of darkness or lost hope gave us an opportunity to stretch our imagination and find an alternative. The darkness made us ready to innovate. The darkness protected us from slipping into helplessness. The darkness made us more ready to find a way forward!
Most of us consider an illness or a disappointment, or a loss or a grief as a wilderness experience where everything comes to a standstill. Daniel Gottlieb, the author of Learning from the Heart on sharing lessons on Living, Loving and Listening had this say about his long years of psychotherapy practice by being in a wheel Chair following quadriplegia: 'I have told many people that my body is broken, my mind is neurotic, and my soul is at peace. Much as I try to avoid it, sometimes I live inside my mind. At this moment, I live inside my soul. From that place, I feel gratitude and humility. I am deeply grateful that you have read my words'(Page 169). When he wrote thus, he was still processing the news that his daughter was unwell with a progressive disease and his grandson had Autism. I discovered from the pages of the book, how he hid himself in his soul and turned the awful experiences of his life to be life giving and hope inspiring!
The symbol of darkness as a disruptive time is a superficial view, just as the appearance of he sea on its surface is turbulence with frightening waves. But beneath ten feet, the sea is still and serene.
Each of the events of darkness that I quoted above, associated with the birth of Jesus had a larger purpose hidden in the darkness.
Returning to the text I started with from Isiah, where the Lord spoke to Cyrus, 'I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden wealth of secret places..' let me suggest that darkness or wilderness are special experiences in our lives. They have a meaning and content which add depth and enlargement to our lives.
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