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Good Thoughts Help When You Walk Through Dark Times

During dark times, our thoughts and words can greatly shape how we perceive and navigate the challenges we face.

Acknowledging our thoughts during dark times

Our dark times are different for each of us. For some, dark times center around illness; for some, spiritual; for some, relational. There are mental dark times; there are fiscal hard times. I guess there are as many different dark times as there are people. That’s where to start.

Acknowledging our personal dark times is the first step in a journey toward healing and understanding. It doesn’t matter whether that dark time compares to another person’s, better or worse; each experiences pain uniquely. We must not qualify or quantify our experience, as doing so minimizes its significance and can lead to feelings of isolation or inadequacy.

It is our experience, shaped by our emotions and circumstances, and it deserves to be acknowledged without comparison. That doesn’t mean, of course, that our dark time might not need to be evaluated once we are past it. In fact, reflecting on those moments can give invaluable insights that contribute to our growth, resilience, and empathy for others who may be struggling.

My own dark time

I very recently experienced a dark time myself. The details aren’t important. It was a physically painful week, beginning with a ride in an ambulance (my first) and a very long day in the Emergency Room. Then there was the guilt. The guilt was because I knew it was my fault, guilt from feeling like a totally awful Christian because I wasn’t crying out to God every minute. My thoughts were on me.

Oh, I was crying out, all right, but not like what you sometimes read about from some authors, which I sometimes think is what they think they should write, not what is reality. I’m not going to do that.

The fact is, I wasn’t praising God, and I wasn’t offering up words of praise. I was crying out things like, “Make the pain go away. Give me strength. Help this to turn out all right.” Nor was I quoting Bible verses or “witnessing”; I was hanging on, and that was all.

I didn’t even open my Bible until a few days after I got home, and I could get up and get around.

BUT

**God Speaks To Us Even When Our Words Are Absent**

Even when we are incapable of reaching out to God with our words, even when our thoughts are self-centered, and we can only focus on ourselves and our pain, God still reaches out to us. Our ignoring Him never means He ignores us. He understands our pain, and if we’ve been in communion with Him right along, He understands our silence.

Before this incident, I felt God leading me in a certain direction. I was doing several things to achieve the necessary short-term goals. At the same time, I avoided facing what I knew was the ultimate plan God was laying out. As the week progressed, everything came together, and I found a quiet acquiescence. Surprisingly, this coming to terms wasn’t nearly as unpleasant as I thought it might be. A part of me is almost excited, almost.

Actually, I think, down deep, I knew it, but now I’ve uttered the words out loud. I’ve embraced the truth. I never would’ve believed that accepting this truth was something I could do. A part of myself hopes it won’t be necessary and that there are other options. But I’m truly OK with wherever God leads.

God Allowing or God Directing?

I want to be very clear here. There is no way I believe for one minute that God orchestrated this event. That does not square with what Scripture teaches. Besides, I wouldn’t presume to know why God allows or directs events. Neither does anyone else.

Life happens.

But I do know what the Bible teaches about how God meets us in our frailties and provides us with what we need, whether it’s comfort, peace, or direction.

I love Psalm 5:3.

“In the morning, O, LORD, you will hear my voice. In the morning, I will order my prayer to you and eagerly wait.” (Italics mine)

Our Thoughts Can Be Hard to Harness.

It’s not easy to harness our thoughts when we are struggling through our dark times. We have to make a deliberate effort. It won’t just happen. But the question is how?

As with most worthwhile goals, it begins with a choice. And sometimes, we have to dig down deep to whatever well of strength we have and bring good thoughts to the forefront.

For me, I try to focus on my scripture for the day and find a verse that inspires me. But sometimes I will read from my favorite authors and focus on something they write. I love Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest, because he doesn’t hold any punches. But then I might counter it with the gentleness of Sara Young’s Jesus Calling. Whatever I choose, I try to circle back to those thoughts throughout the day.

And sometimes, I might even find a secular piece of inspiration that works for me. I try to create a cocoon of thoughts to protect me from the negative thoughts Satan shoots my way. In no way do I use these thoughts to avoid facing reality. But we can face reality while still insulating ourselves.

Self-Awareness Keeps Us Conscious of Our Thoughts.

It’s important to practice self-awareness to guarantee good and supportive thoughts. While it’s natural to experience negative thoughts during difficult moments, making an effort to cultivate good thoughts can help us cope. Good thoughts open the door for hope to walk through. And hope enables us to overcome adversity.

Practicing self-care thoughts brightens the way through the dark times. Ultimately, our thoughts have the power to shape our experiences. It’s been said that it’s not what happens to us but how we react to what happens to us that really matters. Remember, though, reacting means we are thinking thoughts first.

The thoughts we think when we go through dark times are important. Find a way to cultivate good thoughts while not ignoring reality. We will all probably find different ways to do this. The important point to remember is to have a plan for how you can do this when you need.

If you need some good thoughts to focus on, here’s a great LINK. I included one here for you.

The whole point of this blog is to bring attention to how we think during dark times. Our pastor mentioned something a few weeks ago that I really like.

When the light comes, it pierces the dark. Dark can’t exist in the light. It can’t. Think about it.

God bless, and have a good day. Let your good thoughts pierce through your dark.