Let your Light Shine
Tragic Suicide. Tremendous loss. Devastated parents and siblings. My son lost one of his good college friends to suicide a few weeks ago. There are no words. How could I comfort him? In his grief, he told me, “There is only darkness in this situation.” The more I thought about it, the more it sent a chill down my spine. There is darkness to such a loss, and we don’t understand it. We can’t make sense of it.
My son, his girlfriend, and two other close college friends met to begin a road trip across the country for the funeral. It was a journey. They saw beautiful Wyoming landscapes on the way and breathtaking sunsets. I am sure they sometimes did a lot of talking and other times said nothing in the face of such a tragedy. They traveled there and, amidst such darkness, brought light with them.
Pastor Tony Godlefski, a good friend, once told me a story about a Peace Corps teacher living in Africa, thirty miles from the coast. This teacher received a gift from a student who had walked thirty miles to present a beautiful seashell gift to his favorite teacher on Christmas day. The teacher said, “You’ve walked all this way to give this gift to me.” The boy replied, “But teacher, the journey is part of the gift.”
With their journey, my son and his friends brought the light within themselves as a gift into an unimaginable situation. Sometimes it may seem that darkness reins and sadness wins, but not if we let our lights shine and show up to honor and love people. When those so profoundly shaken don’t feel they can take another step, our light, and God’s light within us, shines, and comforts them when they need it the most.
We sometimes cannot prevent the darkness of choices, but we can respond with ourselves. We show up and say no to the dark and yes to the light.
Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16b
If you or someone you know needs counseling for suicide, please call or text 988, chat at 988lifeline.org
https://www.sheboyganpress.com/story/opinion/2016/12/17/letters-journey-part-gift/95535458/
photo by Cathal Mac @Cathalmacan