Darkness

In class on Thursday we read the poems dealing with heavy, dark things. I had the pleasure of reading After Her Death by Mary Oliver. It was an interesting poem. From what I understood of the text it was about the passing of a dear friend. The person that experienced the loss of course was deeply wounded from the loss. They are trying to find relief, they are trying to find answers, trying to find light in the midst of all the tragedy. They seek for these things in the Bible that a church gave to them. They find themselves turning to the Book of Matthew, turning to anywhere just for some type of answer to anything.

I like this poem so much because it is easy to relate to if you have ever lost a loved one. When my grandmother passed away I was angry for a while. It didn't make sense. I kept asking God why. But slowly I started to realize that death happens. It isn't always fair, but God doesn't do it to be cruel or anything of the sort. Death causes us to appreciate life more.

I think that's why darkness is not always necessarily a bad thing. It certainly doesn't feels like it while we are walking through something extremely difficult, but looking back on my life, I thank God for the hard times. My lif would not be where it is today without them. In James, God tells us to be joyful in trials, and to remain strong because the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. My faith always arises when I think upon what Paul went through, and how he kept pushing toward the goal of Christ. I can persevere through anything with Christ in me. He is the only thing I need, no matter how bleak life may look at times, He is always there, being my biggest fan cheering me on to the finish.