Light in the Dark

The body knows.

The heart knows.

And it shows.

Even amidst lies, misdirection, wrong intentions - the truth shows.

The truth always shows.

It breaks down walls that we thought were impregnable.  Shatters mirrors of doubt. Lightning strikes through years of lies told over and over in our minds.

I spent the morning at the hospital with my father. And I’ll be going back in a little while. Not really sure what’s going on, but the truth is he’s in the best place. People can watch and see what’s going on with his body and hopefully evaluate and find some answers. He had a moment this morning and I think it’s scared everybody involved. His wife, me, those that are close to him.

Someone else close to me is also having to walk through their truths today. Sometimes it’s a mess when the ones we’re closest with are where we find seeds of doubt, dishonest thinking, and mob mentality running amok.  Taking one kernel of truth and twisting and molding it  into something that doesn’t even resemble what we knew. Or thought we knew.

The slippery slope of lying or covering up is seductive just like the dark side of the force in Star Wars. It’s tantalizing, it’s easy, it pushes all of the responsibility off of ourselves and onto something or someone else that might be in our path. I watched Luke Skywalker walking into the cave in Empire Strikes Back yesterday. He could’ve just said “no. I’m not going into this cave. I’m not gonna face my fears, I’m not gonna face the truth”. But he did and it was in a way devastating. 

Spoiler alert, Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker‘s daddy! If you don’t know that already, stop reading - Go watch the movies! 

Luke has to face the truth. He has to walk into the cave, face it and then walk out. What he does with that truth is up to him. He’s given a choice later on of whether he’s going to stay in the light or move towards the dark. And that is his choice. But he at least has the truth as he was facing that decision.

Knowing what we’re truly facing, knowing the truth does make a huge difference.

And the truth, the light, they come with work and effort. Oh, they’re easy to see, but they’re hard to live. Our entire world, our capitalist, politically jarring culture wants us to find something to be negative about. It’s easy to dive into the dark side into slander when we don’t know all the answers.

Honestly, do you really know the truth? I only know one truth. The truth is that I was broken and beaten and dying and I was saved by the light. I found faith. I found something to hold onto. And no, I don’t think everyone has the same exact faith. I’m not preaching to you, please find yours. But my truth, it starts with one place and it does bring peace.

If you’re shouting ‘truth’ at the top of your lungs and it doesn’t garner peace, there’s probably something wrong. If you’re trying to breed controversy, if you’re trying to stir the crowd, those are not actions of truth. At least not in my view. Truth comes from steadfast, one day at a time living towards something bigger. Something that matters. Something that won’t eat you up from inside. Something that does bring a peace that remains even amidst the hard times, the times where there is confrontation, when there is a battle ahead of you.

Breathe…

When the dust settles, and words are shed, and we look into the heart of those around us, do you see the light that comes from compassion, hope, faith?

For me, I long to be seen as someone who has fought through the cave and seeks light - bright sunlight on my face, a warm feeling in my chest, love and kindness…

And truth.

~ Peace

The Burtle