THE DISCIPLINE OF DARKNESS

An elderly man bends over a few scraps of parchment, and we see how earnestly he writes, almost oblivious to the encroaching darkness of night, and the claustrophobia of his tiny cell. We gaze on a man prematurely aged by a life of intense hardship having been tossed at sea, stoned by his countrymen, hungry as often as filled and misunderstood in his own time.

We are the recipient of his words, words that have been passed down to us over two millenia:
For I would have you understand, my brothers, that all my glories and all my sufferings have allowed the gospel to be shed forth in a mortal life Philippians 1:12 (McDonald paraphrase)
This same old man had written similar words years earlier, when his back wasn’t so bowed down, his hands not nearly so knarwled and his eyes so much brighter:

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present world aren’t worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us Romans 8:18 (KJV)

Paul’s entire being characterized the mark that Christ etched into his very soul; a mark just as deep and just as defined as an image that is stamped into a coin.

If you’re waiting for life to be fair, you’ll be waiting a long time. Why do good things happen to bad people and why do bad things happen to good people?  We don’t always have a clue.

We live life a moment at a time, without the knowledge that the next moment can provide us. Sometimes we eventually understand how God used a particular event in our lives to further His agenda. Sometimes we never do. But God is like that airplane pilot who can see behind, below and ahead, all at the same time. He is not limited by geography or time. He tells us:

The light and the darkness are both alike to me Psalms 139:12 (KJV). He is so like one who wears night vision goggles. The darkness does not reduce his vision in the slightest.

The Discipline of Darkness is probably the keenest and most poignant discipline we learn. The discipline of darkness requires but one thing to be complete in us, and without this one thing it is bitterly incomplete. And Paul is not remiss to keep this secret from us:

Therefore my chains in Christ are seen by the servants and those who are served in Caesar’s Palace, and many of those who once feared are boldened by these chains and witness without the slightest anxiety Philippians 1:13,14 (McDonald paraphrase)

 For you see the Discipline of Darkness requires the addition of a Vision. God’s Vision is a thing to be embraced by those who suffer, by those who don’t understand, by those who are stung by the circumstances of life. Paul, and Peter and Job and Joseph and all those martyrs of Hebrews Chapter 11 were encouraged by the Vision that Christ loaned to them.

I can’t comprehend all God’s purposes in our sufferings. Why did God allow a nephew of mine to be born with Spina Bifida? He sat in a wheelchair for twenty years and survived countless operations. But he embraced the same Vision that Paul had previously held so sacred. Why did God allow my own precious daughter to develop Schizophrenia and retardation; a daughter who now lives in a group home? One day I’ll surely be asking God about that but til then I must believe there’s a good reason, a reason that will ultimately glorify our Creator.

Paul continues to usher us into the theater of this life with the words: And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God Romans 8:28 (KJV)

What is ultimately required is both the Discipline of Darkness and the Vision that assures us that God doesn’t waste our hurts, our tears, the very agony of our hearts. He has a Plan, and bids us cooperate with his plan.

Some are called to literally lay down their lives. Others know periods of darkness to rise again, healthier, happier and holier. Our lives are so temporary. They are like wisps of fog; here today, only to vanish when the sun arises. We find ourselves selfishly clinging to what we cannot keep.

While none of us should foolishly welcome suffering, we must count it as a timely discipline when it comes, for it comes for a purpose.

by William McDonald, PhD. Copyright pending