This morning, I pray that each of us is being gentle with ourselves. I know that the current global situation is creating a mass consciousness unlike anything we have felt before, and it can be exhausting. Right here and now, I know for each one of us a deep sense of Peace, and an abiding Faith that despite all appearances, all is well.

In my morning devotional, I was offered this passage: “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24/ESV)

This is a verse that I frequently find moving through my heart and mind as I wake up in the morning; it is among my favorite contemplations from the Bible. It makes a fantastic mantra, and meditation with this passage always leaves me feeling lighter than when I began. In it, I find yet another reminder that it is okay to be Joyful…even in such times as these; that it is important to look for and experience the Joy in the miraculous little things that happen every day. But this is not the main point of my message today. I would like to speak to its opposite…that there are times that we are not feeling happy, and that is also fine.

My reading from 60 Days of Prayer started out with this heading: Happiness is Now. And in potential, this is absolutely True. Now is the only moment we have, and so it is always where my happiness lies, should I be capable or willing to choose to be happy. There are times, though, that darkness descends, seemingly unbidden, and I find myself feeling sad. Where does it come from? It may have something to do with a specific situation or condition in my life. Or it may simply be a thought cloud, feeling, or mood contained in the Race Consciousness, that finds its way into my experience for a while. The thing is, it doesn’t really matter where it comes from…what matters is what I do with it.

Sometimes in New Thought we are tempted to just put on a smile, to shift our thoughts from negative to positive. And this approach certainly has its benefits much of the time. But there are occasions in which I allow myself time in the dark; in the darkness of the soil, a seed begins to sprout. In the shadows of winter, trees set down or increase their root systems, so that further growth can be supported in the coming Spring. After nightfall, my body is signaled to rest, so that it has the energy required to start again tomorrow; and it is during those periods of darkness where sleep brings blessed healing.

It’s okay to choose to hang out in the shadows for a little while. It is perfectly normal, upon occasion, to “walk through the valley of the shadow of death.” ¹I just have to remember to keep walking…don’t build a cabin in that valley…don’t even set up a campsite. I keep in mind that what I am feeling (emotion) is energy in motion, and as long as I keep moving, I will eventually get to the next mountaintop. It is during these periods of darkness that the roots of my faith are being grown. I can accept this as a time of blessing, even as I sit with fear, uncertainty, sadness, or grief over the loss of what has been.

1. Psalm 23: 4, emphasis mine