God, Our Wall of Protection
It should be the work of Christians who believe in the paschal mystery to help people when they are being led into the darkness and the void. The believer has to tell those in pain that this is not forever; there is a light, and you will see it. This isn’t all there is. Trust it.
Don’t try to rush through it. We can’t leap over our grief work. Nor can we skip over our despair work. We have to feel it. That means that in our life we have some blue days or dark days. Historic cultures saw it as the time of incubation, transformation, and necessary hibernation. It becomes sacred space, and yet this is the very space we avoid. When we avoid darkness, we avoid tension, spiritual creativity, and finally transformation. We avoid God who works in the darkness-where we are not in control! Maybe that is the secret.
—Dennis Kinslaw
This Day with the Master
In the mental health and addiction fields, recovery is hard work. It begins as a dance in the dark. One of the things that is so special about Sanctuary Clinics is the way we experience God working in the darkness of our struggles. Christ is introduced in John’s Gospel as being “the life that brings light” and saying “the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” We’re not alone in the dark of our struggles; He is at work there; exposing darkness, illuminating truth and righteousness. Don’t be afraid. Find rest in Jesus. Let the Lord who bears light bring transformation. —DH
—David Hoskins, Founder & Care Guide, Sanctuary Clinics