Blackest Night vs. Brightest Day

A classic read for anyone who might be thinking of jumping into comics would be DC's Blackest Night.  Essentially, we find out there is not only the Green Lanterns, but multiple lanterns that stretch across the emotional spectrum. One of these other lanterns are the Black Lanterns which represent death and feed on all emotions to destroy them, turning them into Black Lanterns.  I am not going to lie, it gets real dark (sorry for the pun), but it's bleak and the universe is taken over by all these death lanterns.  However, there is hope in the discovery of the White Lantern, which represents life and restores life where there was death.  It is an amazing and inspiring reminder in what seemed like a nightmarish, no-win scenario.

Checking out certain parts of the Bible you can feel like you are reading a page from the Blackest Night comic, especially when the Israelites are sent into exile.  There is a lot of doom and judgement for the decisions they made in neglecting God and forgetting those in need around them.  Yet, God is not a being that doesn't give hope.  In Zephaniah, amongst the strong words of correction and redirection of justice there is promise of hope in 3:17. "For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty saviour. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs." There is a promise for hope if you realize where that light comes from, where new life can come from.

What helps you when you are facing your blackest night? How are you helping in sharing that light and being a White Lantern in a world that at times feels like has no light?

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