Darkness and Light: A Parable
Darkness caressed the world with gentle reassurances. "We are all the same in here," it said. "No one need feel guilt or shame here for we have all done bad things, but the Darkness covers all of that. Come and join us and live as you desire." When Light appeared in the midst of Darkness, those living in the Dark cringed and shy away. The Dark dwellers did not like the light. The Light was seen as an angry blaze that burned past their eyes and into their souls. It was repulsive to them, so they recoiled back into the comfort of the Darkness.
Darkness could not overcome the Light, but Darkness found a way to dim the effects of the Light. Darkness whispered to the Light, "We choose to live in the Darkness and you have no right to cast your Light of righteousness and judgment on us." Those living in the Dark attacked the Light, casting sticks and stones toward the Lights attempting to put them out. At the same time Darkness began to sway some of the Lights. Darkness said, “The world was meant to be Dark and the Light is unnatural and problematic.”
Under the strain of these attacks and the caressing lies of the Darkness, some Lights started to diffuse their Light so that it appeared dim among the Darkness. The more the Light dimmed, the more accepting the Darkness was of them. The dim Lights found ways to live among the Darkness. Rather than shining their Lights upwards or outwards, they discovered that they could shield the Light by hiding it or directing it downwards, and the Darkness grew and swallowed them up.
Darkness enveloped all of the earth except for those few bright spots that Darkness could not put out. There the Lights continued to shine bright, but the vast majority of the world saw them as repugnant. The remaining Lights felt constricted and lonely, yet they continued to serve as a beacon for any who desired to come into the Light. As the years went by, the remaining Lights endured many attacks from the Darkness until one day every Light went out.
Darkness celebrated their victory over the Light. For seven years Darkness reigned. Then one day, everything changed. A LIGHT unlike any the Darkness had ever seen before burst into brilliance before them. The blaze from this LIGHT seared through the Darkness leaving no place to hide. Every nook and every cranny was filled with this dazzling LIGHT and Darkness was cast out of the world.
The Darkness did not end there. All those who had been living in the Darkness suddenly found themselves in another Dark location, but their new dwelling did not have the same comfortable feel as when they walked among the Darkness. Living among this Dark was something that seemed to be beyond Dark. The greater Darkness could only be described as a soul sucking DARKNESS. This new DARKNESS tormented them day and night for all of eternity.
When the LIGHT first appeared, the dimmed Lights that had remained felt shame before the power of the new LIGHT. Their shame fell away as they were absorbed into the brilliance of the LIGHT where they were once again reunited with the Lights that had never faded or been persuaded by the Darkness. These unwavering Lights were decorated with crowns and jewels and surrounded the blazing glory of the LIGHT. In that place the LIGHT never dimmed and the Darkness never entered in.
Darkness could not overcome the Light, but Darkness found a way to dim the effects of the Light. Darkness whispered to the Light, "We choose to live in the Darkness and you have no right to cast your Light of righteousness and judgment on us." Those living in the Dark attacked the Light, casting sticks and stones toward the Lights attempting to put them out. At the same time Darkness began to sway some of the Lights. Darkness said, “The world was meant to be Dark and the Light is unnatural and problematic.”
Under the strain of these attacks and the caressing lies of the Darkness, some Lights started to diffuse their Light so that it appeared dim among the Darkness. The more the Light dimmed, the more accepting the Darkness was of them. The dim Lights found ways to live among the Darkness. Rather than shining their Lights upwards or outwards, they discovered that they could shield the Light by hiding it or directing it downwards, and the Darkness grew and swallowed them up.
Darkness enveloped all of the earth except for those few bright spots that Darkness could not put out. There the Lights continued to shine bright, but the vast majority of the world saw them as repugnant. The remaining Lights felt constricted and lonely, yet they continued to serve as a beacon for any who desired to come into the Light. As the years went by, the remaining Lights endured many attacks from the Darkness until one day every Light went out.
Darkness celebrated their victory over the Light. For seven years Darkness reigned. Then one day, everything changed. A LIGHT unlike any the Darkness had ever seen before burst into brilliance before them. The blaze from this LIGHT seared through the Darkness leaving no place to hide. Every nook and every cranny was filled with this dazzling LIGHT and Darkness was cast out of the world.
The Darkness did not end there. All those who had been living in the Darkness suddenly found themselves in another Dark location, but their new dwelling did not have the same comfortable feel as when they walked among the Darkness. Living among this Dark was something that seemed to be beyond Dark. The greater Darkness could only be described as a soul sucking DARKNESS. This new DARKNESS tormented them day and night for all of eternity.
When the LIGHT first appeared, the dimmed Lights that had remained felt shame before the power of the new LIGHT. Their shame fell away as they were absorbed into the brilliance of the LIGHT where they were once again reunited with the Lights that had never faded or been persuaded by the Darkness. These unwavering Lights were decorated with crowns and jewels and surrounded the blazing glory of the LIGHT. In that place the LIGHT never dimmed and the Darkness never entered in.
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