Can We See Farther in the Dark?

Going through trials is never easy. But what I saw from that dark mountain helped me appreciate the long-range vision God wants all of us to have.

I once heard it said that suffering triggers the learning center of the brain. Is this true?

In fact, research has proven that positive stresses are what trigger brain development in infants and children. An interesting factor is that negative stresses (such as the loss of a loved one), with a resulting release of cortisol, are toxic to a child’s brain unless the child is supported by a loving parent during the ordeal.

This interesting study can give us insight into what God desires to accomplish in us as He assists us through trials.

What I learned from a mountaintop view

Many years ago, I was going through a very difficult transition in my life. Materially speaking, I was losing everything I’d been working toward for a very long time. The last thing I was going to have to give up was my mountain home and acreage, sitting atop the Colorado Rockies.

Late one Friday afternoon, feeling depressed, I decided to go and meditate in a cozy nook on a sunny, rocky promontory. Its expansive view faced west across the miles of forest that separated my property from the Continental Divide. From there, I often watched the sun gradually set behind the highest mountain ridges.

Thinking

I had a lot to think about, but that is not the purpose of this blog.

As I sat and the afternoon hours waned, the river valley and the woods below me darkened. I would guess that, as the crow flies, the distance from where I sat to the rim of the Rockies was no more than 30 miles. Gradually the sun descended, and its light turned from bright white to deepening shades of amber.

Finally, I found myself squinting to see anything but the fading mountain rims as twilight overcame the scene.

It was getting dark, but I didn’t feel like moving. I was mentally numb from pondering my very bad situation. On that balmy summer evening, my flashlight would guide me back to my house well enough.

The “aha” moment arrives

By the time I realized there was no light left at all, I looked up and watched the first star appear in the sky—far beyond the horizon. One by one, more stars blinked on.

It was at the appearance of the first star, however, that my moment of illumination came. It suddenly occurred to me: “Wait a minute … the mountains are 30 miles away, but the stars are multiple light-years away—an unimaginable distance!”

I could see farther in the dark!

I held my breath for a moment at the simple realization. My trials and losses could help me learn to look beyond what the material light of the sun enabled me to see.

Often our eyesight becomes glued to the world around us, and it’s only natural that it does. But God wants us to see beyond the “reality” of today—the here and now—to the true reality that we cannot yet see (Hebrews 11:8, 13-16). What we leave behind could include homes, possessions, family, our health, and even our lives if necessary. Abraham and the Israelites in the wilderness are two of many examples.

Since that night, I often remind myself that “I can see farther in the dark.” It has helped me endure severe trials, because I know that I am learning something valuable. When the road gets rough, that is when we as mortal human beings have the opportunity to develop eternal vision.

Nancy Diraison is an East Texas member of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association. Writing everything from music to blogs is her favorite occupation!