A very awesome post @meditationmann. I was interested in it first because @danielsaori directed me to your page, but then when I read the post, I found out that it was about a discussion am passionate about - getting stronger through darkness

In my 27 years of experience here on earth, I have come to realize that there is not one person here on earth who will avoid some sort of struggle, darkness or ‘desert experience’ in life. For the very fact that you are a human being, alive and breathing means that you are prone to experiencing all that life has to offer – the celebrations and mourning, wins and losses, good and evil, light and darkness.

Truth be told, the experiences we have during dark times are usually not pleasant, that’s why they are called ‘dark times’. During these times, we ask questions like ‘why me?’

While writing this comment, the loss of my dad while I was still a teenager became fresh again in my mind, that feeling of being lost in the deepest pit of darkness, with no ray of light to cling unto as a hope for tomorrow. So I know firsthand what it is like to be in darkness.

But what we don’t realize (which when I realized helped be overcome my grief) is that darkness is a gift from life itself. Every struggle, pain, or sorrow you go through is a gift. It is a gift because it is only in dark rooms that people search for light. Darkness brings you to your knees, questioning the true purpose of your existence. It is a gift because it makes you look deep into yourself to discover the treasures lying dormant in you.

There is a popular quote “What does not kill you makes you stronger”. That is so true. That means that a darkness that you don't allow to overcome you makes you stronger. So we can say that darkness can produce good benefits if handled properly. When you are faced with darkness, you have a choice to either give up or to draw from the well of treasures that flows within you, and come through it better and stronger than you were before the darkness.

Finally, we all have heard of a lot of testimonies of people who were grateful for the darkness they experienced in the past, stating that it made them much better people. They did not testify for talking sake, but meant every bit of what they said. I know this because I am part of this group of people. My darkness of the death of my father was tough and hard, but am grateful to God for it, because that darkness was what contributed to me being born-again, having a relationship with God, which is the best experience a person can ever have (IMO).

So, I invite everyone reading this post to come join us – a group of people that are thankful for their dark experiences. Don’t run from your darkness, but rather embrace it so that you can come out brighter and better, like pure gold from the burning furnace.