I remember, as a teenager, getting up long before the sun rose in the morning sky in order to meet for a service project. Our service sorority began a tradition of meeting at a Krispy Kreme shop, where we bought dozens and dozens of doughnuts at a discount price; then – once we had mapped our routes and organized – we would head out to sell them, door to door.
Getting up and going was not one of my favorite things. But once I was with my friends, and the sun began to show its rays at the dawn of the day, it was a wonderful and energizing experience. Any mental fuzziness left over from the early morning arising was soon gone, and mental clarity had taken its place. Even better, the fun of doing something worthwhile for a good cause made it a happy time.
Many times since that morning so many years ago, there have been other mornings when I have arisen before the sun has made its appearance. On some days, it has been because we needed to go somewhere or get something done. Other early mornings may have been because of illness- my own or someone else's- and tending was required.
The harder ones have been because there has been no sleep whatsoever in the night. Hour after long hour, I have “waited out the darkness”. Heartache, despair, worry, or the feeling of being temporarily overwhelmed has chased sleep away, and left me with a heaviness in all of my body except the eyelids. Prayers. “Self-talk.” Wandering through the house. Weighing decisions and concerns. Reading . I have done all kinds of things to get through the hours, but those hours felt dark and desolate. Problems—even aches and pains—seem to loom larger in the night. In the darkness, I have at times magnified difficulties, emotionally scrambled issues, and sunk in wariness and worry.
Even as the physical darkness makes it difficult to see images around me, any measure of spiritual darkness impacts my internal vision and understanding.
Once the sky shifts occur and the dawn begins its early morning dance in the clouds, I have noted a bit of a shift within me. There is something about the sun coming up over the mountains in the morning that brings with it renewal. The light “breaks forth” and instantly lifts my spirits and offers me hope.
In Ecclesiastes 11:7 we read “Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun.” After a dark night, the light is, indeed, sweet.
After passing through a dark “night” in our mortal journey, there are no words to convey our gratitude and our joy in seeing the light return, right? Nerves are calmed, peace is restored, and hope arrives with “the Light.”
“Hope is light. It is a light within us that pierces the darkness of doubt and discouragement and taps into the light of all creation—even the Savior… Christ is the true hope that is in all men.” (Elder John H. Groberg; Hope, Salt Lake City; Deseret Book Col, 1988, pp.46-47.)
With that Light, we can discern truth and gain energy to move forward. Better judgment is restored. Peace becomes a palpable reality.
If you are presently going through a dark night, please know that the day dawn will break. Look forward with faith for the Lord's loving light. It will come. With it, darkness and despair can melt away like a snowball in the warmth of the sun. Worries can diminish and heartache can be healed. Even in the darkest of nights, we can be assured that, eventually, the day dawn will be breaking.
With it, we will gain a renewed energy and the hope that allows us to continue in our mortal service, with greater clarity and increased gratitude!
