Dark Matter

Depression.  Anxiety.  Fear.  Guilt.  Shame.  Death.  Disease.  Disabilities.  Abuse.  Toxic relationships.  Divorce.  Job loss.  Heartache.  Hatred.  Crime.  Racism.  Slavery.  Suicide.  Terrorism.  War.  Natural disasters.  Human trafficking.  Infertility.  Miscarriage.  Failure.  Addiction.  Homelessness.  Loneliness.  Inequality.  Ugliness.  Lost friendships.  Mental disorders.  Insomnia.  Criticism.  Rejection.  Doubt.  Darkness.  Maybe you see pieces and parts of your life in this list.  These things and more make up the dark matter we all face as part of the human race.  In a perfect world, none of these horrible realities would exist, but unfortunately, perfection is not the reality of our universe.  Scientists say that only about 4% of our universe is known…which means about 96% of our universe is made up of dark matter and dark energy…the unknown.  

Yes, the universe is beautiful and wonderful and full of life.  But it is also scary and mysterious and full of more things that we don’t yet understand.  Darkness.  Black holes.  And the darkness in our universe isn’t just out there in outer space.  It’s here on earth…part of everyday life for so many people.  And yet…people often want to gloss over the pain, the chaos, and the ugliness of others.  We go on our merry way and ignore those who are suffering…those who face conflict in their lives on a daily basis, be it a physical or mental struggle.  When we do help, we seek simple solutions.  We want an air brushed version of beauty over their scars so we’re comfortable with what we have to look at.  And all the while people are hurting with real problems, and often we don’t want to acknowledge how bad it could really be for them.  And so they suffer alone.

We praise people who are successful, who are rich, who are highly educated, who are beautiful, and who look like they have their lives together.  We want to be friends with them.  But what if those people are actually secretly suffering on the inside?  And what about the people who aren’t “blessed”?  The people whose lives have been turned upside down because of a tragedy or some bad advice and a few wrong turns?  All too often, we judge and avoid people who are down on their luck, depressed, or who make decisions differently than we expect them to.  Do they not matter?  What if we joined people in the chaotic silence of their lives?  What if we took the time for empathy and a listening ear and sought understanding instead of jumping to conclusions?  What would it do if we leaned in and let people tell their story?  What if their story had us saying “that happened to me too”?  What kind of powerful connections could we form by being a friend to those in dark places?  What could we learn and what kind of positive impact would it have in our world?  If someone came to you in their darkest time of need, would you be there for them?

What if the person with a lot of dark matter was you?  What if all your worst fears came true for everyone to see?  Would you be okay in the end?  Could you create something new for yourself?  Or would your raging emotions overcome you?  To quote the French philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, “Progress is the soul of the universe.”  The universe is moving forward.  We cannot return to the past.  We find ourselves in the present with the opportunity to create a brighter future than the darkness we may have come from.  Ironically enough, scientists say that dark matter is vital to the ongoing life of the universe.  So too, you may find that the dark matter in your life…your place of greatest wound and loss…that may be what creates the most compassion and character and fire within you.  So embrace your dark matter.  Resist painting a pretty facade over your scars and pretending like everything is fine.  Enter into your darkness and come out a stronger person.  Find something within you that you didn’t even know was there.  And know that while you may have a lot of dark matter in your life, YOU MATTER.  Never give up hope on life.

This blog was inspired by, and contains many quotes and thoughts from an inspirational sermon that I watched recently, and I wanted to reflect on the parts that impacted me the most.  Many songs came to mind as I was brainstorming for this blog, but this Michael W. Smith song “Raging Sea” really sums up what I want to say.  I hope it inspires you to help someone who is weary on their journey.  You might just save their life…and find your own in doing so.

January 14-16, 2019