Article November 18, 1991 Issue

"The pain seemed to take the joy out of my family life"

Finding Light

Who couldn't use more light, more clarity in a time of questioning? And if we are in the middle of our own search for light, it sometimes helps to hear the experiences of others who are finding "there ariseth light in the darkness," as the Psalmist describes it. This column records some experiences that may be useful to those who are looking for new answers. The accounts are anonymous in order to give authors the opportunity to talk freely about earlier lifestyles and attitudes that may have been considerably different from what they now value. Of necessity, the recounting of experiences is telescoped in its time frame, and these narratives do not attempt to tell a complete story But they do show something of the wide range of seekers and the way in which the light of Christ, Truth, restores, redirects, and regenerates lives.

Some people may seek a deeper understanding of God because of an innate spiritual hunger. Some may be looking for peace of mind in the midst of difficult family or work situations. In my own case, I was looking for release from physical suffering and felt that God was my last resort.

I was a busy mother of three sons, not troubled by anything serious. Then came a skiing accident, and something happened to my neck. It did not trouble me too much at first, but I later suffered from increasingly frequent headaches, and an X-ray revealed damage. After a while I gave up trying to find relief in painkillers because they became increasingly ineffective. The headaches became progressively worse to the point where they seemed to take the joy out of my family life, and I felt that I would rather be dead.

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