Day 7 - The Coming Dawn

Merry Christmas, Blueshirts!

Now we celebrate the entrance of light into a world shadowed in darkness.

By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.'

-Luke 1:78-79.

It is no accident that Christmas is celebrated in December. While the gospels do not give us the actual birth date of Jesus, they do tell us what his arrival means: Dawn is breaking upon us.

December 21st is the first day of winter, the darkest day of the year. But from this point forward, each day sees a little more light than the day before. The dawn is coming. We will emerge from the shadow of darkness.

And as we emerge from this shadow, what awaits us? If we follow Christ, we are heading towards peace. The dawn gives light to we who have been sitting in darkness, and that light shall serve to guide us on the way to peace.

As addicts we have been sitting in darkness. We have lived a life of fear and secrecy, struggling to calm ourselves amidst a harsh and barren world. But as we begin to work the steps and turn our struggles over to Christ, the dawn breaks and we start moving towards peace.

The walk towards peace is a journey. We are guided on the way, but we are not there. We celebrate the coming of the Light in mid-winter, but the fullness of the sun will not prevail until summer. It is a long journey, but our way is lit for us.

Be not afraid.

The light has come.

Follow the light.