Walking in the Dark

One of the beautiful things about this season is the crisp, long nights. We recently went for a walk around our neighborhood after dark, looking at Christmas lights, seeing wisps of our breath in the cold air. There is beauty in the dark.

A couple years ago, I read an amazing book by Barbara Brown Taylor called Learning to Walk in the Dark that changed the way I think about darkness. Brown Taylor helps us understand a more holistic understanding of faith, not simply living in the light, as she calls “full solar spirituality.” All-light-all-the-time is not healthy or practical. We need the darkness, the beauty of the stars above and the silent rest for our bones that the night draws forth.

Advent is a season for learning to walk in the dark. We are like pilgrims on a journey to visit the newborn king, the one who brings light. We walk along the road at the darkest time of year. There are glimmers of light, markers that keep us going on, reminders that we have set out for a purpose. But the darkness is deep.

My hope is that the deeper we go into darkness, the more we learn to lean into the impossible ways that God will show up around us in this season. As we learn to walk in the dark, may we find a truer closeness with the one who never leaves us and walks along with us.

Grace and peace friends,

Seth