A young boy had a beautiful dream. Behold! God comes to him smiling. As He approached the boy, He asked, “Dear son, whatever you like, you may ask. I will give it to you now.”
What will I ask? The boy was in a dilemma. Suddenly he picked up from his mind one of his great desires that he had been cherishing in his heart. With joy he raised his voice, “Oh, my God, I know that you are omnipotent. You could do whatever you wish. I have a desire. Can you take away ‘nights’ from our life?”
God wondered. He asked, ‘Why should I take away night from earth?’
Boy opened his heart, “as the day ends, my mother forces me to stop playing. If there is no night, I could play for a long time. Not only that, I am afraid of going out at night. Devils and thieves attack us at night. Therefore nights are unnecessary. Let there be always day.”
“Yes, let it happen as you wish”, God said. Suddenly the reality of night disappeared. Everywhere, full of light! But as time passed, it became troublesome.
As nights disappeared, there were no days. As days disappeared, there were no holidays. Boy had to study all the time. Since there were no days, his birthday was not celebrated. Always day and full of light… He was fed up with this unending day… He could play and play… but will get tired at the end. Yet again time is left. The joy of sunrise and sunset were just good old memories. Plants and human beings got exhausted at incessant sunshine.
Boy cried aloud thinking of his comfortable sleep under the blanket in cold mornings. Peaceful sleep and attractive dreams were just bygone memories. He called up the Lord and cried out, “Oh, my God, give me nights. Return to me my beautiful nights.” Suddenly the young boy woke up from the dream.
————————— ————————— —————————
Nights give rise to days, months and years. If there are no nights, days would not be as beautiful as we have them today.
It is the same with regard to the darkness that abounds in our life due to pain, sorrows and troubles. Continuous pleasure sought through the senses will irritate us. A life devoid of problems and tensions will lack strength and courage. As day takes birth from the womb of night, so joy takes birth from the womb of sorrows.
Let these thoughts guide us in the New Year. Do not try to avoid the nights that God allows in our life. Convert them as the powerful steps for our joy and growth. An optimistic mind concentrates not on the thought that everything is fine, but on the fact that God will turn everything to good. We have a living God who is able to turn everything to better in our life. That’s our hope. I pray that every reader of Turn Back To God be filled with this hope.
Prayer: Lord, shower your graces upon us so that we may accept the ‘nights’ that God allows in our life happily and hopefully wait for the beautiful dawn that renews everything. Amen.