Whisper in the dark

I was visiting some dark places this afternoon - armed with baked goods and some friends who are trying to be light in the darkness. These visits are always a heart wrenching, yet incredibly interesting kind of affair - although I guess most things made of dust and sprinkled with eternity are. Heart wrenching and interesting - perhaps this is the combination for trying to live out God’s Kingdom here on earth? The thing that struck me most about today was the seeming ease it is to resign ourselves to whatever happens ‘to us’. I think this is true of so many things and so many situations… we so easily agree with the circumstances of our lives. It’s actually much easier to do this than to resist. To come into agreement with the ease of things handed to us - the terror of things done to us - the statements and opinions others might hold of us - the judgements people keep… the easiest thing to do is to agree. C’est la vie.

But there is another voice we can sometimes hear when we take the time to listen. It’s a voice that echoes inside of us - in a whisper. It’s a voice that suggests there is another way, a different opinion, a new perspective, a longer view… hope, life, value, love, meaning, purpose… on and on this voice goes whispering in the dark (that phrase is a deliberate reference to a book by Fredrick Beuchner… a fantastic read!). I want to hear the whisper. I need too. All of us do.

So today, I took a few moments to listen. That’s harder than it sounds (excuse the pun). To really listen to the one who whispers hope to my own soul. Then I took the whisper and echoed it to those who need to hear it most. I guess that might just work out to be a nice mission statement… I whisper in the dark.