For Courage

When the light around you lessens
And your thoughts darken until
Your body feels fear turn
Cold as a stone inside,

When you find yourself bereft
Of any belief in yourself
And all you unknowingly
Leaned on has fallen,

When one voice commands
Your whole heart,
And it is raven dark,

Steady yourself and see
That it is your own thinking
That darkens your world.

Search and you will find
A diamond-thought of light,

Know that you are not alone,
And that this darkness has purpose;
Gradually it will school your eyes,
To find the one gift your life requires
Hidden within this night-corner.

Invoke the learning
Of every suffering
You have suffered.

Close your eyes.
Gather all the kindling
About your heart
To create one spark

That is all you need
To nourish the flame
That will cleanse the dark
Of its weight of festered fear.

A new confidence will come alive
To urge you towards higher ground
Where your imagination
will learn to engage difficulty
As its most rewarding threshold!

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The Rev. David Baumgart Turner is pastor at Church of the Crossroads in Honolulu. You can often find him pinching himself as he contemplates the fact that the church he grew up admiring from afar as a teenager in Honolulu decided decades later to call him to be their pastor. It is with joy that he serves alongside the many members of this Open and Affirming, Just Peace, Green-focused congregation. He and his wife, Kirsten, have been advocates for just and sustainable living and polices their entire married life together. They love any opportunity to be in the water, on the trails, and glorying in the wonders of God’s Creation.