Dissipating a Dark Cloud

This blog post is also going to be a bit late, but at least I have a good reason for that this time: I was doing service. This morning, I didn't really feel like doing service. I felt a bit overwhelmed and even a bit used, cynically saying to myself that the church is little more than a scheme to guilt people into performing free labor. But, of course, it's more than that. As I served (bitterly and reluctantly at first), I began to sing the second verse of "We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet," starting with "When dark clouds of trouble hang o'er us, and threaten our peace to destroy, there is hope smiling brightly before us, and we know that deliverance is nigh."

Prior to my decisions to give service and to sing, there was a dark cloud hanging over me, not a cloud of trouble, but a cloud of bitterness and frustration. However, after following what must have been a prompting of the Spirit, and after a little bit of encouragement from both the lyrics and the listeners, I felt that dark cloud dissipate, and I now realize that that is also one of the purposes of the church. It's not just a cheap labor scheme or a way to manipulate people into thinking and behaving in certain ways. It's a source of comfort and support for those who need it. It's a source of hope and help for those over whom dark clouds hang.

In short, I'm feeling a lot better now, and while I would have said that I had the church and God to blame for me feeling bad in the first place, I also have them to thank for making me feel better again. God may be putting us through hell with this whole mortal experience, but that's only because He's trying to get us somewhere special, and this is the only way to get us there. It's rough, but it'll be worth it, and there are little moments of comfort and support along the way, if we ask for them. There are plenty of dark clouds in life, and it sometimes seems as though God is responsible for some of them, but God will also help us get through them. These dark clouds will dissipate, especially as we turn to God, the source of all things, including song, prayer, and hope.