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Today we have a special treat. Our friend Meta Mason joins us in sharing some of her journey with us.

This morning the sun went down.

Or at least I thought it did. I was driving my son to school and the sun was making its appearance. The glow over the mountains surrounding our town was beautiful. Then I saw it. The first bright sliver of sun. Not the whole orange ball, but a good chunk of it–brilliant against the dark gray and purple of the Catalina Mountains here in southern Arizona. I was humming a praise song and feeling a brief glimpse of joy and peace. Then the road turned. All of a sudden the sliver of sun disappeared. The craggy top of the mountain covered it right up. The road was again filled with the shadows of dawn. The mountain looked even darker.

I pulled the car over and just stared.

How could the sun go down when I had just seen it come up? Oh, God. This is so like You to remind me of Who You are. I need concrete examples. The sun didn’t go down. From my vantage point on this particular path, it only appeared to go down. What do I know to be true? The sun is still coming up. The Pusch Ridge peak is hiding it a little longer. If I keep driving or wait a few more minutes, I will again see it in all of its brilliance.

The parallel is perfect. It has now been over a year since Karl was killed in a car accident while driving to church. Our daughter was critically injured. She has had eight surgeries and has no vision or hearing on her left side. Our “road” has been dark. Shadows immediately obscured everything. I desperately searched online for help and found A Widow’s Might website. That very day I signed up for their widow’s retreat in North Carolina, not having any idea what to expect. I ordered the devotional. Our church family here and my new friends from the retreat who live all over the country have shown me that I wasn’t alone in the dark. We are all at different points on the dark path. They gave me hope. Eventually… I never thought it would happen…eventually I felt like I could breathe again. Skylar graduated with honors and went to college. Hannah and Kody are back in routines. I started playing electric bass in church and am raising chickens. The sun is starting to come up. I can see the glow peeking out behind the mountain.

And like the road I was on this morning, there are moments when I feel the shadows return.

It feels like I’m going backward. The wave of grief and the fear of moving forward overwhelms. It’s dark again. In these moments, the Son hasn’t gone away. My vision is just blocked.

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope. The steadfast love of The Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:21-22 (NIV)

After all the crud and the shadows of the night is the YET that brings hope. The sun will rise. The mountains only hide it for a little while. As I write this now sitting in Safeway’s parking lot, the sun is blinding my eyes. Thank you Jesus for the reminder.

The Son always shows up.

Lord God- You know this journey we’re on is dark and scary. Help us to KNOW that You are still there. Help us know that the shadows will disappear. Amen