Got Darkness? Get Light!
What do you do when you feel you or someone you love is in a dark place? How do you turn up the light?
Episode Discussion Points
Story of my husband and I visiting Natural Bridge Caverns near San Antonio, Texas
How dark and isolating true darkness feels
We all pass through dark times
Bible verse John 8:12, "I am the light of the world. He that followeth me, shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." And why that was symbolic during the Feast of the Tabernacles.
Times when I felt dark
Things we can do to connect to the Savior when we feel like we are in dark times.
How God helped me learn to teach my kids a really cool object lesson about turning up the light inside of ourselves.
How we are each connected to God by a kind of spiritual umbilical cord and things we can do to turn our brightness up and then shine light to the world.
Why it is important to learn to avoid things that bring us down or increase the darkness within us.
The song, “The Lord is my Light” and what those words mean to us today.
Invitation to increase your light so that darkness will depart.
A Favorite Quote
“No matter how dark the night is, morning always comes. And don't you think God is teaching us something by that pattern every single day? Maybe it's a dark and cloudy day, and a dark and cloudy night. But the sun rises the next day.”
#tamarakanderson #storiesofhopeinhardtimes #podcast #hope #God #hardtimes #darkness #light #help #cave #tips #story #Bibleverse #JesusChrist
Transcription
You can find the transcription of today's episode here:
0:03
Have you ever felt like you're in a dark place? Like, everything has gone wrong and you just feel it pressing in on you and you just feel like no one understands how deep and dark you feel how awful your situation is?
0:37
Welcome to Stories of Hope in Hard Times, the show that explores how people endure and even thrive in difficult times. All with God's help. I'm your host Tamara K Anderson. Join me on a journey to find inspiring stories of hope and wisdom learned in life's hardest moments.
1:03
Hello, and welcome to another episode of Tamara's Takeaways on the Stories of Hope in Hard Times podcast. And today we're going to talk a little bit about darkness. But before I dive into that, I want to tell you a little bit of a story.
1:17
Several years ago, my husband and I took a little side trip away from our kids and we got to go to San Antonio, Texas. This is when we lived in Houston area. And so we drove a couple hours went to San Antonio and one of the things that we decided to do was we decided to visit a place called Natural Bridge Caverns. And it is a wonderful place. And I don't know if you've ever hiked into a cave before, but I will try to describe it for you. It is like entering this magical palace that is created by nature. And they have these ginormous, Stalagtites that are hanging down from the ceiling in kind of these cone shapes. And they have stalagmites reaching up from the bottom. And they create these amazing patterns as as waters drips through and makes these amazing stalactites and stalagmites over the hundreds and 1000s of years. It's just incredible to see.
2:21
And we hiked about a half a mile down. And they're showing us all these cool formations that have been made in this cave. And we enter this grand chamber and it's like nothing I've ever seen. It's like somebody took--you know, how if you get wet sand, and you drizzle it down, and it just makes these cool patterns.? It was kind of like that, but everywhere. It was this huge, ginormousopening, it was probably the size of a football field. It just felt huge. And there were these stalactites and stalagmites everywhere. Some of them looked like ginormous wedding cakes. And it was just phenomenal to see.
3:07
But as we were in there, they took a moment and they turned out the lights. And it was pitch black because we're in this cave. And there's no way that light can reach you You're, you're under the earth. And I remember it was such an eerie feeling to like be able to wave my hand in front of my face and not see anything at all. It's kind of it's kind of disorienting, a little bit. And of course after leaving the lights off for a little bit, they finally turned the lights back on. And we were able to see and hike back out. And it was it was just a really, really cool experience.
3:51
And so I wanted to talk to you guys today about light. I've just kind of had this thought pinging around in my brain for the last couple of weeks about the difference between darkness and light and how when we're feeling like we're in the dark, like in that deep dark cavern--How do we find light? How do we seek it out? How do we shine some light in dark situations? Because so many people are dealing with that right now. Maybe you're one of them. Or maybe someone you love is dealing with just darkness. And some of its chemical, like maybe mental illness, depression. And some of it may just be a reaction to a really hard situation where you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders and you're not sure what to do.
4:43
But, but the truth of it is, all of us, at some point are going to feel like it's dark like somebody turned out the lights. You could be waving your hand in front of you and you just can't see--You don't know which way to go. You don't know which way to step. And it is sometimes it's grief, it's sorrow. And and what do you do? What do you do in a situation like that?
5:17
And I want to talk to you a little bit about a story from the Bible. And one day Jesus Christ was teaching the people at the feast of the Tabernacles. And I got to teach Sunday School a number of years ago, and, and I did a little bit of research into the Feast of Tabernacles. And it is an amazing thing to learn about what they did to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. Back then, and then to see how Jesus Christ teaches about light a lot because of that.
5:51
So this is where Jesus is teaching the people. And you can find this in John chapter eight. And this is where he says, "I am the light of the world. He that followeth me, shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." So he's saying that I am the light.
6:11
So one of the really cool, cool things about the Feast of Tabernacles is that on the Temple Mount, they had these huge, huge, ginormous candelabras that they had, and they illuminated the temple grounds. And when I talk about huge--these things were like 75 feet tall. They were really, really big, so very predominant. They stood out. And it was very, very obvious that these things were part of the feast of the tabernacle. So these, these candelabras that they lit during the Feast of Tabernacles not only provided light for their celebrations, but they also symbolized how Israel was supposed to be a light to the nations. And I love that what Jesus is teaching here. And what we hear him teach throughout the scriptures about "Ye are the light," also..."A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid," that he is talking about each of us, shining His light.
7:24
I love what I just read to you and John 8:12, where He talks about the He's the light. And as we follow Him, we don't walk in darkness.
7:37
Now some of you may be thinking, Tamara, I follow Jesus, but I'm feeling like I'm in darkness right now. And I've been there. I've been in some really dark times myself. I remember one time after I was in a really, really bad car accident being in the hospital. And I was kind of on the edge. I'd been in the hospital for a while they were trying to keep my lung reinflated. I got punctured in the accident. And it just wasn't staying reinflated. And finally, they were going to try one more thing. And if not, I was going to have to have major surgery. And that really scared me. And because I've been praying in faith, I've just been praying, praying, praying. And I was feeling weighted down and dark and scared. And what's going to happen? I don't want to have surgery. And so I remember feeling that way.
8:34
I remember feeling darkness when Nathan was diagnosed with autism and then Jacob, and that grief was a darkness to me. And it just weighed on my soul for a really, really long time.
8:52
There's been other times in my life when I've felt a darkness or even a situational depression, kind of hanging over me.
9:03
And at those times, I've had to reach for the light. I've had to reach for the Savior. And I find it interesting that in this verse that I was just talking about, where Jesus says I'm the light and he that follows me shall not walk in darkness. When we're in the darkness, One of the things that we can do is reach for the Savior, through prayer, connect with him through studying of his word. Those are things that we can do to reach to Him and catch a glimmer of light.
9:40
About a year ago I was teaching my children about this concept of filling ourselves with good things. Because we were we were in the middle of Coronavirus, COVID-19. And and I was trying to think of an object lesson of how I can teach my kids, "Okay guys, when you connect to God, and seek for that light, that you can then have enough to share with others." And, and so I was thinking of an object lesson in my mind. And so I, in my mind, I was imagining like a big water pitcher where you dumped cups of water in. And so you say your prayers and you dump a cup of water in, and you read your scriptures and you dump a cup of water in, and and you go to church, well back then we couldn't go to church, you know, but you do service, you dump a cup of water in and, and these things, you take a hike in nature and pause and reflect, put dump a cup of water in, and you know, and so I'm, I'm picturing this object lesson in my mind and thinking through it, how I'm going to do it.
10:49
And all of a sudden, this thought pops into my head. And it says, "Tamara, that's not how it works. I was like, Okay, well, how does it work? And the idea that kind of came into my head is that we are all connected to God. He is the source of light. And it's almost like I want to say I kind of pictured it like a spiritual umbilical cord that ties us to God. Only it's not water, it's light, that we have the opportunity to turn the brightness up, or down depending upon what we're doing. And, and how much we're seeking after and how hard we're trying to follow Him, especially in those dark times.
11:44
And so as I was pondering how I was going to teach this concept of connecting to God, and bringing more light into me, and in teach my children, an image popped into my brain that I needed to connect our hose to a container or water hose from outside. And so I drilled a hole into the bottom of a plastic container. And I screwed the hose into the bottom of it, and we turned the hose on. And you could see the water filling up and flowing out of the container. And the cool thing was, when you're connected to your Source, then you have enough not only to fill you, but then to share and overflow with to others. And it was such a powerful teaching moment that God taught me so that I could then teach my children that it's not something that you scoop up and you dump in. It is something that we already have that connection, each of us has that connection to God. Each of us has the ability to tap into that, and to turn the brightness up. And at times when we're feeling really dark--because the adversary doesn't want us to feel this light. He doesn't want to have us feel that because when we feel and are full of God's light, it automatically disperses the darkness.
13:20
And so I want you to think about the darkest hardest night that you've ever waded through. And morning came, right?
13:31
No matter how dark the night is, morning always comes. And don't you think God is teaching us something by that pattern every single day? Maybe it's a dark and cloudy day, and a dark and cloudy night. But the sun rises the next day. As we tap into God and to our source of inner light we then have enough for ourselves and to shine to the world and help others who are are in a dark place. And I love that.
14:03
So religious leader Robert D. Hales said this. "When light is present, darkness is vanquished and must depart. When the spiritual light of the Holy Ghost is present, the darkness of Satan departs." Isn't that great? Just like the concept of physical light and darkness. The same is true with God and with the adversary. That Satan has to depart when there is light present. And so if you're in a dark place, find go find a spot where you feel light, where you feel love, maybe that's a church, maybe that's somewhere in nature. Maybe that's in a corner of your house. Maybe that is studying your scriptures. Maybe you feel light when you serve others. But however you feel the light, take a step. It can be even a tiny step. Read one verse, say one pleading, prayer for help. And He is there. Because you're putting forth the effort and He is always there, and always listening.
15:25
In the mid 1800s, composer James L. Nicholson penned the words to the popular Christian song, "The Lord is my Light." I wanted to share this with you. And these are the words that James penned. "The Lord is my light, then Why should I fear? By day, and by night, his presence is near. He is my salvation from sorrow and sin." This blessing assurance, the Spirit doth bring." Two things that I really loved from that stanza is that His presence is near whether it's daytime or nighttime, it doesn't matter, God is always near you. The second thing that I wanted to point out is that He's our salvation from sorrow and sin.
16:14
One of the things that I haven't dived into yet is that we've talked about ways that we can increase our light. But one of the things we haven't talked about is being careful to avoid things that decrease your light. And sin is one of those things. So as we repent, we increase our light because we get rid of darkness within us.
16:34
Second stanza, "The Lord is my light, though clouds may arise. Faith stronger than sight, looks up through the skies. Where Jesus forever in glory, death reign, then how can I ever in darkness remain?" I love this stanza because it talks about hope. It talks about even though clouds come, that that hope, that faith of what lies ahead in the eternities is what pulls us forward. And how can we remain in darkness when we have that?
17:08
Third verse, "The Lord is my light. The Lord is my strength. I know in His mind, I'll conquer at length. My weakness in mercy He covers with power, and walking by faith, I am blessed every hour." I love this verse because it talks about how with God's strength we conquer. By ourselves, we are weak, but with him, we are strong. And I've seen that in my life.
17:37
Verse four, "The Lord is my light, my all and in all. There is in His sight, no darkness at all. He is my Redeemer, my Savior and King. With saints, and with angels, His praises, I'll, sing." And I love that with God, there is no darkness at all. So when we are with Him, when he is abiding with us, the darkness cannot stay there.
18:05
The chorus is, "The Lord is my light, He is my joy. He is my song. By day and by night, He leads me He leads me along." I love that.
18:16
Before we close, pay attention to the things you can do to increase your light and decrease the darkness in your life. I know for example, one of the things that I found that was bringing me down and seem to fill me with darkness was when I was listening to the news. So I actually gave up listening to the news years ago, because it was driving me crazy. And I always felt discouraged after I listened to it. And so I still scan headlines, but I don't sit there and let that depressing stuff, weigh me down all day. So if there are things that bring you down, replace those with things that bring you light in your life. Another thing that I found that I have had to replace in my life are things that make me angry, times that I have to forgive someone. And those are things that bring perhaps turned down my my brightness, my light, and I have to then repent, ask God to help me, give up that anger because I don't want to feel it inside because I don't feel as light and as bright.
19:19
The other thing is forgiving others. I have to have His help with that as well. And I found that that by doing those things, that it has helped me feel His light more powerfully in my life.
19:34
I have to also share with you that as you turn to Jesus Christ, He is always there and He has been through dark times before. And because he's been through dark times before He knows how to empathize with you in your dark times. So He can be with you and comfort you and strengthen you as you turn to him, I know because in my pleading prayers in my hardest moments, He blessed me with peace. Peace that things would turn out okay? Even when I didn't know what okay meant. But I felt His reassurance that even though I felt really, really dark, and really, really scared that He could see, tomorrow. He could see the sun rising. And so I trusted that. I trusted Jesus could see that light, and that he would lend me just an ounce of that light to get through that dark night. And He did. Each and every time I've stumbled and fallen in the dark. He's been there with me.
20:53
And so my friends, when you are feeling dark, when you are feeling discouraged when you are feeling down, or if someone you love is feeling that way: Pray with them. Be with them. Encourage, read scriptures, listen to uplifting podcasts, listen to uplifting music, do things, to turn up your inner light inside. Tap into that spiritual umbilical cord that you have connected to God and invite that light into you with more passion, with more power, because light always overcomes darkness.
21:38
And just like me and my husband, when we were on that hike in the cave in the dark, the second that light turned on, darkness fled. The darkness cannot stay when the light is turned on. So my friends, tap into your inner source. It's in there. Tell the adversary to quit bugging you with things that aren't true. Tap into your inner source--into God into Jesus Christ< He is the light, and He has enough light to shine into your soul to help you, to heal you, to get you through every dark night. Remember, God loves you. He's not going to leave you in the dark. Have faith that morning will come. Hope on!
22:34
Are you looking for a gift for a friend, sister or mother who is really struggling right now and you're not sure what to get them? It's hard for me to sometimes find those gifts. And so today I'm so excited to tell you about this booklet, The Mother's Mite. It's a perfect simple, inexpensive gift you can give your friends, your family, your sisters, anyone that you want to share this story with. And it will be meaningful. It's not just a little piece of candy that they eat and forget. It's something they can read over and over again. Because so often we as women feel alone and overwhelmed and burdened and like there's so many things weighing upon our shoulders. And what I love about this story is that it points us to Jesus Christ in our times of trouble, that He understands us. He loves us knows what we're going through, and He is more than willing to help us bear that burden. And I love that about this story-- that it gives not only me hope, but it will convey that sense of hope for all of you. So get your copy of it today. TamarakAnderson.com/store, you can order one, two, 10, 20 however many you want, and we will get those to you so you can get them distributed. All right now on to our show.
23:59
Hey, thanks so much for listening to today's show. If you liked what you heard, subscribe so you can get your weekly dose of powerful stories of hope. I know there are many of you out there who are going through a hard time, and I hope you found useful things that you can apply to your own life in today's podcast. If you would like to access the show notes of today's show, please visit my website storiesofhopepodcast.com. There you will find a summary of today's show, the transcript and one of my favorite takeaways. You know, if someone kept coming to mind during today's episode, perhaps that means that you should share this episode with them. Maybe there was a story shared or quote or a scripture verse that they really really need to hear. So go ahead and share this podcast. May God bless you, especially if you're struggling with hope to carry on and with the strength keep going when things get tough. Remember to walk with Christ and He will help you bear the burden. And above all else, remember God loves you.