By: White Dove
The most incredible light and beauty is showcased within a shrowd of darkness. It's like a dance of Light, a grand choreography by a Master Cosmic Artist.
In the early nights of my soul quest I slowly walk in deep awe and wonder through the vast canyon as dusk turns to twilight and as twilight deepens into a startlingly clear night. Cliffs towering above me on both sides, I'm captured by the majesty of the Milky Way that explodes in a sparkling star show radiating above my upturned face.
Glory above and below, the Milky Way runs directly above the Canyon. I drink in this beauty in great gulps.
Even at ground level, stunning moon flowers glow lily white, walk-way sentinels, all over the park, trumpeting the good news that beauty truly saves the world!
Sunrise is just as inspiring. At daybreak solar splashes shoot rainbows of orange, rust, and red colors, a palette fit for royalty, beginning at the very tips of the cliffs.
This world is truly the colorful, creative canvas of a Master Painter and Sculptor! This artist placed me here in Zion National Park, working for a season, for needed soul work. Even when we're broken, God is still busy creating beauty on the canvas of our own souls!
He seems to enjoy the enchanting process of embellishing and enhancing the ever changing canvas of our lives, and now that I'm getting used to it, so do I!
“A broken soul is not the absence of beauty, but a cracked and torn soul reeks of the sweet incense it contains.”
― C. JoyBell C.
I recall a dream I once had in which God was choreographing a complex ballet. Inside a grand theater there was a line of people trying out for parts in the ballet. I watched as each candidate was put through a series of tests – like torture. If they dared, they had to survive a machine that rivaled medieval torture chambers.
As I watched the candidates ahead of me in line, I could not imagine the pain they were enduring and I wondered if I would be able to stand the test. Many candidates jumped out of the line and disappeared from the theater. It's no wonder, for what purpose was this torture? What in the world does it have to do with ballet?
My turn arrived and I laid down on the torture table, because my intuition told me it was the best choice. The pain was beyond endurance but I willed myself to stay. At the end of the line, each candidate was directed to one of two rooms. One room was reserved for those who had survived the torture without complaining, and those were the ones chosen for the ballet. To my amazement, I was chosen to be part of the ballet! It was truly amazing, because I was not one who had "stand out" talents.
The other room led to an exit. There was the sense that only those who were prepared could be chosen. Passion and perseverance were more important than talent. It reminds me of Matthew 25 and the 10 virgins. Only those with oil were allowed into the wedding banquet.
I think of Jesus, Moses, Paul, all the apostles… and David. They went through the preparation of the torture chamber, too. Some call it the wilderness of the wilderness. Desert training.
“David was caught in a very uncomfortable position; however, he seemed to grasp a deep understanding of the unfolding drama in which he had been caught. He seemed to understand something that few of even the wisest men of his day understood. Something that in our day, when men are wiser still, even fewer understand.
And what was that?
God did not have – but wanted very much to have – men and women who would live in pain.
God wanted a broken vessel.” ― Gene Edwards, A Tale of three Kings: A Study in Brokenness
Bringing it up to the present, the first astronauts were put through incredible tests – more like torture – prior to being chosen for the space program. Only those who survived, and even learned to thrive, in the torturous environment went on to ride rockets to the moon.
Sometimes, pain is a gift. When you really want to change the world and do something big, in God's justice system it means greater trials, as preparation for the greater things.
Sometimes pain is a result of our own mistakes, limiting beliefs, or DNA. How long the pain lasts is hard to say. I think a lot is up to us and our ability to simply lay down our temporal lives and let the Eternal Genius within us be in control.
For me, it means to detach from the particular outcome I would wish for myself and to allow the Great Artist to burn, to sculpt, to carve, to heal and repair my wounds in the way He sees fit.
I may never be fully healed or fully restored in the ways I would wish for myself, but somehow I've learned enough, thus far, to walk in the grace and favor available for this One Day in Time that is called today.
Today I love the ancient harmony in this land, and I'm listening and watching in the night hours, in the mornings, and even during the busy days as I care for the needs of people all around me.
This past week my daughter came to visit Zion and we got to hike together for a day. I'm grateful for each day of grace, mercy and love!
My soul is still healing, my own song is arising, and the Great Playwright has called me to dance. It's your turn now… what have you discovered about the dark night of the soul? What joyous beauty has helped to heal your soul? Are you, too learning to trust the Master Painter and Sculptor of your own life, knowing that you are co-creating this beautiful life with Him?
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With love,
White Dove
Hi, I’m White Dove. Yes, it’s my pen name, and it was given to me by a blind man who shyly whispered it to me in a Divine encounter. Yes, it’s my real picture… just an ordinary selfie.
I live with my family in the mountains, surrounded by ancient forests, pure streams, and mighty rivers… but I also travel quite a bit.
My kingdom career is a Heart Scribe. I love to write from God’s heart and have been recording His living Word for the past three decades. It’s brought me so much beauty, joy, peace, and happiness!
I love to inspire trauma survivors to write their life stories, unearthing the treasures of their past and sowing them into the future. We dip our pens in blood and write the pain away… as God has shown me how to do, in the company of supportive friends and family. We are writing ourselves into a better world, beginning with discovering our own original design recorded in the DNA of our soul, and it’s the most exciting place to be!
Copyright © 2018 Heart Scribes, All rights reserved. For reprint permission or for any private or commercial use, in any form of media, please contact me
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I cannot imagine God’s thinking in situations such as this. I know He has a plan for His Purpose, but in my finite understanding, I’m at a loss as to why.
How wonderful to hold onto His Promise, to trust Him with your whole being…such Grace…
I know God isn't responsible for the evil, nor would he torture His children. He doesn't deliberately cause us anguish.
We live in a dark world, though, and for those who are innocent at heart, the darkness is torture to us. I don't understand all of God's ways. I just take baby steps forward, learning to trust.
I like what you say, Cyn, that we can trust Him with our whole being – that is real grace, for we can't do it on our own strength. I know I can't, anyway!
I'm honored by your viist – and I thank you for your words, Cyn, from a heart who well knows such grace and mercy!
"One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene on a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul … Struggling souls catch light from other souls who are fully lit and willing to show it." ~ Clarissa Pinkola Estes