The other day, I was in the car driving to work, I love that time, I sit with my own thoughts and use the time to reflect on the day before, and the day ahead. While driving, I could see the sunrise, it was incredible…I thought about the night sky that greeted me when I left my home, and now five minutes from work, here was the sun to announce its return.
In that moment, I thought what great parallels could be seen with night to morning, as with life difficulties and life’s triumphs. Often, we all are tempted to find the choir of people who will allow us to complain: to gripe about the woes in our life, but sometimes, in a space a faith, what might be best is to remain silent.
Thought leader, Maryanne Williamson says it so well when she stated, “silence is a testament to our strength.” Now, I am not saying don’t share about challenges, or to be less than authentic about current experiences in life, I am simply saying that when the temptation to speak ill about life or others for that matter creeps in, ask yourself am I experiencing my own metaphorical night…with the promise (through faith) that morning will greet you on the other side. If your answer to that question is yes, then take a moment, and when the inner dialogue says to speak, simply tell it that “you will see it in the morning” - the morning, where the sun has risen and the things of night can now be seen clearly.
This works for relationships as well. An old friend reached out to me a couple of weeks ago, I knew he had been going through some difficulties, he had shared those openly, when he reached out, I thought it was to open the lines of communication, what I came to soon realize was that he was reaching out in his own attempt to absolve shame and guilt, and to release his own insecurities. –He was more interested in ensuring that we were still in good rapport rather than authentically wanting to engage in conversation with me. – I understand now, he is still is in his own version of night.
Sometimes those we love have been introduced to difficulties beyond their scope to manage. –We all have been there. In that space of adversity, we can utilize tools beyond ourselves: church, responsible friends, therapy etc. to respond to hardship. Often though, we turn to drugs, alcohol, sex, superficial relationships to manage those challenging emotions….when we do this, we move into night. As painful as it can be, when we find others move in this space, and night has seem to fall upon them, the best way we can show love, is to spiritually, emotionally, and often physically say, “I will see you in the morning.” I spent many a years, tolling with how I can manipulate, orchestrate, and persuade the night in my own life, and the lives of others to move faster…but just like mother nature, I have no control of when the sun will rise…the one thing I do have control over is how long I stay in the dark with you.
So for all those who are experiencing night fall, know the morning will come. –and for the many others, who are experiencing the pain of seeing others experience the dark of night, know, that with love, and faith in abundance, the best thing we can do, is take a deep breath and spiritually say to those we love, “I will see you in the morning.”