Embrace Light in the Darkness

I first met Sherri Cullison at a writer's conference, and I was instantly drawn to her eagerness to discover all that God had for her life. When I discovered her tragic story, my heart ached. But later I saw how God used even this to shape her and her ministry to others.

In this Hope UPGRADE, she reflects on how God helps us embrace His light, even in our darkest hour.

Sherri says, "The moment I stepped into our living room and found my fourteen-year-old daughter Sarah’s lifeless body on the floor, my world became dark.

When I (Dawn) let that sink in—how I would feel if that were my child and the "darkness" that would suddenly surround me—it takes my breath away. How can a person survive such deep sorrow? Sherri explains it's not a "how"—it's a "Who."

Sherri continues . . .

The room where I watched my three children laugh and play and open Christmas gifts suddenly became a death room.

A heaviness hovered in the air. In my mind, my home was no longer a brightly-lit home of wonderful family times, but a dingy, evil place.

My youngest daughter had made an uncontrollable decision and took her own life.

Instantly I concluded that someone must have done this to her. I was in shock.

I threw my purse across the floor and called for help. Surely this was a mistake, a nightmare I was lost in.

 I called 911 and gave dispatch the information.

“Just stay on the line with me, Mrs. Cullison. Help is on the way,” the dispatcher said.

My tragic circumstance might not be the same as yours today. Maybe you’ve lost the love of your life. Maybe you’re facing serious health issues. Maybe you lost a baby in the womb. Maybe you lost everything you owned and you’re starting over.

Whatever you’re facing today, I want to encourage you that darkness doesn’t have to live in your life forever.

Each day you face doesn’t have to be hopeless for the next.

Even though darkness appeared to envelope me that night I lost my daughter, I was not alone. God brought light into my moment of despair.

On the phone with the dispatcher, I blurted out, “Are you a Christian?”

“Yes,” she quietly responded.

“Can you please pray with me?” I pleaded.

“There is a pastor’s wife here in the room with me and I’ll put her on and she’ll pray with you.”

I can’t remember the words she prayed, but I know it comforted me. Calling on the Lord in a time of devastation wasn’t attributable to me.

I don’t even remember thinking I should pray. The words simply flowed across my lips in desperation and fear.

I remember when I was a little girl lying in my bed at night, I felt very alone in the dark. I was afraid. I was convinced there was danger because I couldn’t see anything around me, even though I had two sisters in the room with me.

I pulled the blankets up around my face and cuddled up to where I felt I was safe.

I was hiding from nothing, but I didn’t know I could ask for help.

Soon my body relaxed, and I fell asleep until the morning light.

Isn’t that what we find ourselves doing sometimes?

When we face a hopeless situation, we feel afraid and panic. We know there must be help somewhere, but how and where do we turn for help?

You may feel you’ll never recover or that nothing in your situation will ever change, but let me encourage you with these three ways we can find light in our darkness.

1. Call on God that Very Moment

Matthew 11:28 (NIV):

"Come to me. all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest."

Don’t wait. Whether a simple “help me” prayer or an offering of a river of tears, or even an outcry in anger.

If you feel you don’t have the strength, ask someone to pray with you. Not only will it bring instant light from His presence, but He will give you rest.

2. Follow Jesus and Not the Darkness

 John 8:12 (ESV):

". . . I [Jesus] am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Too often we depend on possessions and even others to be our light, but Jesus encourages us to follow Him because there we’ll find the light of our everyday life.

3. Allow the Lord to Light the Lamp of Your Soul.

Psalm 18:28 (ESV):

"For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness."

If your lamplight is no longer lit, please don’t turn away or resist His help. Often it can mean the difference between life and death. 

When we find ourselves in moments of panic and despair and feel surrounded by darkness, we need to remind ourselves that there is hope in the warmth of light’s glow.

God holds tomorrow and He also holds you. His embrace today can help you get through your unknown tomorrows.

When you face darkness in life’s hardships, what are your intentions today to address them tomorrow?

NOTE:  September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. If someone you know is in crisis, contact the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling 988.

Sherri J. Cullison, author and speaker, knows the pain and devastation life brings. Whether your hope is treading or sinking, Sherri’s heart for hope reveals how we can manage our everyday struggles to claim joy and love life.  In her recent book, SOS: A Mother’s Story of Survival, Rescue, and Hope in the Darkness of Teen Suicide, Sherri shares the heartbreaking loss of her daughter and the evidence of God’s healing, forgiveness, and restoration. Sherri and her husband live in Arizona and have two children, seven grandchildren, four pianos, and one RZR. Contact Sherri at www.sherrijcullison.com.

Graphic adapted, courtesy of Joe at Pixabay.

Persevering the Staircase of Suffering

Sherri Cullison is a phenomenal woman who has found God to be "enough" in her struggles. In this Perseverance UPGRADE, she shares three ways to cultivate perseverance in times of suffering.

“I am so excited you’re giving me your exercise bike,” Sherri exclaimed. "My uncle stood stunned, eyes wide and straight-faced."

I (Dawn) have to tell you, I met Sherri some years ago, after she suffered a terrible loss. Yet she was engaging and eager to see how God might use her in spite of her pain. I have been blessed to see her perseverance.

In this article, she writes about two different kinds of suffering she's experienced, and how perseverance helped her deal with both.

Sherri continues . . .

Truthfully, I really was excited about the exercise bike. For months, I wanted to lose weight to feel stronger and healthier, but I couldn’t exercise standing due to an old injury.

I had the desire to reduce fat and build muscle, but I felt chained to the recliner, hopeless of ever becoming fit. But now, with a little work, I could pedal myself away on a new journey of fitness.

I knew I had to start slow and easy, so I set a goal of pedaling for five minutes.

Quickly, my lungs labored, and my leg muscles burned.

My will grew weak, and I wanted to give up.

Then I pushed myself a little harder and finished my first five minutes. Hurray.

Now I’m a world-class athlete. Not likely. But what brings success to my goal? Persevering on this uncomfortable contraption for just a few minutes every day.

Several years ago, I thought perseverance wasn’t an option.

After losing my youngest daughter Sarah, I trudged through my grief-walk each day, dreading the next.

• My body operated as if fifty-pound weights were anchored to my ankles.
• My mind floated in a fog and functioned unreliably.
• Tears came easy and the hands of anxiety choked my breath away.
• There were days I wasn’t sure I would even make it to the next.

Sometimes we feel we’ll never recover from life’s struggles, but how we choose to handle our circumstances is vital to surviving life-altering changes.

The suffering we often experience is incomprehensible, yet God’s Word encourages us:

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope (Romans 5:1-4 NIV).

Certainly, I didn’t feel like “glory-ing” in my suffering when I lost my daughter, but God promised that in my suffering I would find perseverance.

And then character.

And finally, hope.

With hope, I knew I could get through this nightmare.

How do we grasp this hope that God promises? Three helpful answers are found in Hebrews 12.

1. Choose to Run the Race with Endurance.

Hebrews 12:1 (NLT)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us.

Sometimes that means letting go of sin’s grip.

When we’re sinning, we don’t want to run with God. We would rather walk on our own.

Often, we need to downsize our responsibilities. It’s okay to say no, and it’s okay to remove those heavy things in our lives that slow us down.

Allow yourself the grace to simplify your life.

2. Choose to Consistently Fix Our Eyes on Jesus.

Hebrews 12:2, 3 (NLT)

We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward.

Think about all he endured when sinful people did such terrible things to him, so that you don’t become weary and give up.

Jesus endured merciless beatings, humiliation, and imminent death. However, we fix our eyes on our current situation and honestly, not enough on Jesus and what He endured.

Pursuing time alone with Him every day will bring light to our dark situation. Pray simple prayers and allow him to carry your heavy load.

3. Choose to Persevere in Living a Life that Others Follow.

Hebrews 12:12 (NLT)

So, take a new grip with your tired hands and stand firm on your shaky legs. Mark out a straight path for your feet. Then those who follow you, though they are weak and lame, will not stumble and fall but will become strong.

Paul wasn’t kidding when he said our hands would be tired and our legs shaky.

Some steps of life begin at the bottom of a long, dark staircase where we hesitate to even take the first step. But God tells us to mark out a straight path. Map your thoughts and actions, and don’t give up.

Push to persevere. Then watch others follow and become strong.

You’ve just built character here. And that, my friend, leads to hope.

What steps will you take this week to pursue your goals and meet glory in your suffering?

Sherri J. Cullison, author and speaker, knows the pain and devastation life brings. Whether your hope is treading or sinking, Sherri’s heart for hope reveals how we can manage our everyday struggles to claim joy and love life.  In her recent book, SOS: A Mother’s Story of Survival, Rescue, and Hope in the Darkness of Teen Suicide, Sherri shares the heartbreaking loss of her daughter and the evidence of God’s healing, forgiveness, and restoration. Sherri and her husband live in Arizona and have two children, seven grandchildren, five pianos, and one RZR. Discover more about Sherri and her story at www.sherrijcullison.com