It's a common question..."Aren't you glad that this year is over?" To be honest, yes and no. I will be glad to see Glenn's physical suffering diminish. I am grateful that his radiation treatments have concluded. Loss, grief, disappointment, sorrow and suffering marked many of our days. But just as many days were marked with joy, peace, contentment, understanding, gratefulness, and blessing. There have been many good things embedded in the midst of the hard days of 2012.
We know the deep, abiding, comforting presence of God as never before. I long for that to continue.
A book that I often return to is Midnight Harmonies by Octavius Winslow, a 19th century pastor. In it he writes of enduring the dark times of our lives, often called a "night season". He speaks of the "Midnight Harmonies" that are found in the dark night. Early in his book he shares a thought that is unusual...
"A saint of God is then a happy man. He is most often so when others deem him miserable...even then there is a hidden spring of joy, an undercurrent of peace lying in the depths of the soul which renders him, chastened and afflicted though he is, a happy and enviable man."
Imagine envying someone who is going through difficult circumstances because of the joy and peace that is evident within them...
Imagine being most happy when others think you have every right to be most miserable.
That is what comes to mind when I reflect on 2012 and eagerly anticipate in the year ahead.
My prayer is that each of us will have the "spring of joy" and "undercurrent of peace" running deep within us in 2013.
grace and peace...
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