Into the Darkness

To varying degrees, we all like to play in the dark. Sure, we love our sunshine, and we often pretend that the darkness has no appeal, but that is merely a facade we create because we are often a bit afraid of the dark.

There is peace in darkness.
There is quiet.
There is curiosity about what we cannot see.
And there is a little bit of fear because we can't be totally sure what's in the darkness.

But that fear doesn't matter. Because we wouldn't be descending into the darkness without a guiding hand.

We all know that there are things in the darkness. They might be lovely, they might be terrifying, they might be a thrill ride like you have never ridden before, they might be all of the above and then some. But one can never be totally sure...

It's that age old truth of there being no light without darkness, no understanding of joy without sadness, no appreciation of pleasure without experience of pain...

It is always, always coldest and darkest before the dawn. But if one is brave and wishes to play...There is no joy like that found in the darkness just before daybreak, in the silence of one's own heart, in the quiet whispers of the soul as it bravely takes a step into the unknown...

Submission is saying, "I will follow you into the darkness". Surrender is taking that first step without sight, that first leap into the unknown. Surrender is walking into the darkness knowing that it, and it alone, leads to a glorious new dawn...And all you have to do is follow wherever he chooses to take you.

As the light begins to peek over a cold and snow covered horizon, accompanied by the sound of a softly crackling fire, I can appreciate the darkness as a place of discoveries, as a place of quiet, of harsh cold and heartening warmth...As a place to retreat to when the well-lit world outside becomes a seemingly unbearable load.

Darkness is where we hide our deepest desires, the secrets of our soul that we think no one knows.
Darkness is where we lick our wounds and trace our scars with weary fingers.
Darkness is where we hide our dreams, our sins, our tired hearts.
Darkness is where one must become blind in order to truly understand what the eyes have seen.
Darkness is where one can be what eyes alone could never truly see.

Oh yes, there undoubtedly are things in the darkness. Some of which can lead to discoveries far beyond anything we could ever see while blinded by the light.