In true nature, after a spiritual mountain top, there tends to come a steep valley. This polar opposite occurs primarily because of the battle that exists for good and evil in the world. As my boys naturally imagine fighting forces of evil through play, we also must choose who we will side with at any given moment. External factors like the common cold (which just so happens to be passing through each of my children this week), lack of sleep, or mere relational strains add to the ugly battle, but it's our tendency towards lostness that fuels the fight.
Halloween is akin to Christmas in our home because it simultaneously involves birthday cake and gobs of candy. Thus, my celebratory Silas has been counting down the days and rising early in excitement. This inevitably leads to fussiness for all. But there was a sweet stillness one early morning a few days ago where instead of waking in vengeance, I happily joined him for some one-on-one quiet time where we had a providential pondering together.
The story of the "Lost Sheep" was requested and immediately taken back with the usual "confident commentary." It's not really about being lost, my eldest son explained. It's talking about being bad. That's when I began a lesson that I needed to learn myself.
Rarely has my first born ever thought he was intentionally doing "wrong" because what he wants never seems "wrong" to him, but like most of us, we rarely "steal, lie, or kill" in the general sense of the words. Thus, we do not perceive ours desires as dark. Instead, we are just chasing after the things we think will bring light to our life. As I further illustrated, lostness has more to do with running away from what God wants us to do, not necessarily running towards something "bad." Neither paths are dimly lit, but one will bring a lasting light that doesn't have to be relit over time.
Halloween is best celebrated when the sun goes down, and the tricking and treating occur under the spooky moonlight. Sadly, the dark holiday revealed my own darkness of heart. Darkness pertaining not to badness or evil, but just a self-centeredness I wish weren't present. When things don't go according to our plans, when we aren't perceived in the light we'd hoped, or when we just want to have everyone act accordingly, we begin to fall prey to our own dark attitudes.
This was the divine recognition of my own lesson learned. I cannot eradicate my own darkness, but when I admit my own tendency towards lostness, I can choose to be found in Light.
Living out faith in light of our darkness shows the world that we are all equal in God's perfect sight.
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| Trying to have some equal carving stations... |
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| But this one just wanted a seed counting contest, |
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| and this one just wanted to play with the guts, |
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| and this little man just wanted to play with the spoon and dance around the seeds and guts! |
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| But everyone picked out their own face for daddy to carve. |
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| Happy Birthday and Halloween Daddy! 35 never looked so good. ;) |
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| Our makeup date involved lego candy and coffee! Love this boy's simplicity. |
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| The Ro-man is in a consistent squat; he literally wants to be ready to jump and run at a moment's notice. Sitting is not his forte |
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| Even with a cold this sweet babe is still smiling. |
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| Fall Festival day at school! Levi didn't like the truck ride, but he fed a llama! Go figure! |
We've sized Levi's foot for the new boot, but have return to pick it up for nighttime use. Praying he remembers what it was like to sleep in metal and plastic!
Luca and Levi will get follow up at ENT tomorrow, and then a vascular abnormality clinic next week. Hopefully we will have a little break from the docs after that for the holidays!
Here's to shining some light in those dark moments!
~Dark Buster
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