Joy Comes in the Morning

 

Have you ever experienced the “dark night of the soul?” The dark night of the soul is typically described as a period in one’s life that is excruciatingly difficult. Sometimes after the death of a loved one, or a breakup of a really important relationship, or the diagnosis of a life-threatening illness. The dark night of the soul goes beyond feeling sad or down, it’s a painful, gut-wrenching feeling that tears your very soul apart and causes you to question everything, including your very existence or whether you should even continue to go on anymore. If you’re someone who follows God you may even beg Him to have mercy on you by taking your soul because the pain is too unbearable to go through alone anymore.

As painful as the dark night of the soul may be though, and believe me, I get it, I have had it multiple times and am going through it again, it doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a bad thing. Perhaps it is a time where our faith is being tested and our character is able to grow so that we are better able to serve Christ and handle things life throws at us down the road. Things may appear hopeless now, they may appear ever so dark with no sign of light anywhere, but Christ is never far from us, and He is our Light and our hope. The darkness hides from Him, and His light shines so bright; He will guide our paths. We must remain faithful and lean on Him for strength to get through the dark night of the soul.

“Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Psalm 30:5 (ESV)

When we get through the dark night of the soul (which it’s a season, it’s not a literal night), there is joy in the morning. There is relief. As I’ve discussed in a previous blog entry, joy does not necessarily mean happiness, but it’s a type of contentment in the soul. Being content even amidst difficult circumstances knowing everything is in God’s hands and He is in control of it all. Not having to despair or be anxious in our circumstances, but being content, being at peace in them. Therefore, after going through the dark night of the soul, it’s not necessarily everything is all happy and dandy, but rather a contentment and peace knowing no matter what, God is in control. It is then we are able to release our grip on whatever we are trying to hold onto and just let go, whether that be our health, a relationship we once had we held dear, or the life of a loved one that has either passed or is about to pass. We are able to let go of our grip on that and say “okay God, I realize nothing I have is truly mine. What you give me are gifts, and you are able to give and take away freely. You are in control of all things, so I am letting go of this, and giving it to you to put in your hands. May you be glorified LORD.” At that point we need to just trust God with things and I get it, it’s easier said than done. If we put our trust in Christ though, He won’t fail us. It doesn’t mean He’ll give us necessarily what we want, but He will be there with us through it; we won’t go through the dark night of the soul alone, and we will find joy in the morning. God bless you!

In Christ,

Abi ❤️