A Very Dark Place...

"I've been in a very dark place," she said. "I don't ever want to go back." Indeed. This friend of nearly 7 years has walked through the valley of the shadow, and she had gone to war with evil. "You did know that L has died." It was more of a deep question than a statement of fact. I thought of all the Ls I've ever known. I've kept in touch with them...all but one. "You mean your L?" The answer was affirmative. L had died suddenly, tragically, in public . My friend had watched her die.
Death is not a new enemy to my friend. She has lost many people. Three years ago to the day, she lost her husband. Cancer. She's lost friends and family...at least for a bit as they fought their own battles with depression. She's even gone to war with that evil herself.
She faces new valleys...selling her home, waiting for a new place to be built. She's not too old, but certainly not young. She's had to come to grips with her reality: the home she and her husband shared is too much for her. So, now she waits. The nights are still empty. She fills her days the best she can. The shadows of uncertainty lurk around her.
My friend has an extensive family and a large network of folks who love her. I don't worry about her as much as I used to. Seeing her, listening to her, has eased that. I don't think she'll every really go back to that dark place. Yes, she will walk through other valleys where the shadow of death lives. But she is a Christian. Her faith, though shaken, remains strong. She does not fear evil. Christ has conquered death. Life eternal is a promise. Jesus said, "Come to me, all who are weary and I will give you rest." My friend knows this. And she rests in our Lord.