Real Hope: SufferingSample

The Glow of God

Darkness hung in the air. A mixture of uncertainty, fear and sweat. The number of days blurred and the time spent in this valley felt like a lifetime. No corner I rounded or incline I ascended showed a way out. So, I put one foot in front of the other, moving forward. An unsteady crawl was better than not moving at all.

There had been no warning signs. In an instant I found it around me, the rocky ravine of suffering, towering over me. No escape to my left or my right. The panic began to rise, a drowning from the inside that I couldn’t quieten. I turned, but found no way forward, no road out.

And then it appeared. Descending out of nothing, the little glow grew as it drew closer, settling the panic I was drowning in. I felt its warmth encircle me. It dipped low, revealing the slightest inkling of a path. I realised my only option was to go through the valley if I was ever to get out of it. Cautiously I put one foot out and then another. The glow continued to move ahead of me, showing where to place my foot next. And so, I followed the glow.

Though darkness wrapped around me, this glow would not let it consume me. Though the pressure overwhelmed me, the glow hovered over me, stopping it from crushing me. Though I felt the pain of growth, I also felt the replenishing of the glow, sustaining me. Though loneliness lingered, the glow reminded me I was not alone.

I sat now, looking at the glow and the darkness ahead. No matter how dark it got, this little glow would not be consumed by it. Nothing could cause it to leave my side. So, I put one foot in front of the other, knowing that this valley of suffering would end, if I only followed the glow.

Written by NERI MORRIS