another step, another day closer

What do you do when you have no idea what's around the corner?  What do you do when there are more questions than answers?  Simple... Pray!  Pray a lot!

Uncertainty is always very uncomfortable.  The unknown is scary!  I think that's why so many of us are afraid of the dark - or, at least, uneasy.  What am I going to trip over or bump into? Who could be waiting to jump out and scare us (from my days as a younger brother)?  Where is that hole in the floor, the cobweb hanging down or the thing on which I might stub my toe?

But the blackness of the dark doesn't always have to send us running.  Sometimes its the blank palette on which a beautiful picture is painted.  Sometimes its the foil for light's beautiful glow.  One of my favorite photos I've taken was at night.  

I was in Budapest on a mission trip during July of 2010. Our team went out one night exploring. We walked up to Fisherman's Bastion and watched the sunset over the city.  Later, we wound our way down the tight, curving streets of Buda.  We passed through dark alleys and watched cyclists ride by in the dimness of the night. It was a little daunting because, though we knew we were going in the right direction, we had very little idea of where we were.

We finally emerged from the small streets, or "Utcas" to the large boulevard along the Danube river.  The lights of the big city beckoned us from the darkness of the tiny, urban streets. And there it was... The Széchenyi Lánchíd - The Chain Bridge - the first permanent structure between the Buda side and Pest side of the city, glowing in the distance like a little kid's nightlight.

 It was glorious! The light bounced off of the suspension cables like fireworks. The soft glow of the streetlamps shown forth the majestic lions guarding each end of the bridge.  Suddenly, the darkness that had engulfed us, became the backdrop for this beautiful site!

I think that's how life is. We need the darkness to appreciate the light, like we need the rain and storms to appreciate the sun. As we need the hard times to appreciate the times of grace and plenty.  It's the darkness that brings contrast to the beauty of the light. Without it, everything is the same... muted in the white, with no contrast or form... or interest or beauty!