"Shed a little light so I can find you.
Don't let darkness hide you from my face..." --Foy Vance
I am very happy with the songs chosen for my traveling playlist: The Wider Sun (Jon Hopkins), Higher (Paper Tongues), This Family (Campbell), Mile-Long Driveway (Jeremy Current), Homebird (Foy Vance), Take To the World (Derek Webb), For the Widows in Paradise (Sufjan Stevens), Forgiveness (Patty
Griffin), Sliding Down (Edgar Meyer)....
As I was fading off into the night landscape of the view outside of my bus window, the song "Shed a Little Light" by Foy Vance took its' turn on my playlist. This song is such a prayer for my time here in India.
I have been told by several people that there is a certain darkness to India. That, spiritually, it can be a very empty place (Though I believe this to be true of my own country as well, with Christianity far from exempt...).
In any circumstance, I believe that hope and reconciliation cannot be achieved without that shedding of light. "Darkness," to me, extends beyond a difference of spiritual beliefs to a complete isolation of ourselves from other's lives - letting our cultural, physical, personal boundaries, spiritual, traditional differences separate rather than unite.
My prayer is for that light to be shone - that respect, that listening ear, that sharing of one's life - so brightly that the darkness is unable to hide us from one another. Because, at the core, are we not really bound by our similarities as well? Our need for
food.
water.
shelter.
something to believe in.
a search for something greater than ourselves.
healthy relationships.
empathy.
change.
growth.
family.
creative outlets.
sense of purpose.
These are lights worth shedding.
Erin!
ReplyDeleteI need to keep up with your blog! What an exciting adventure. I've found that music really makes a moment, especially in my own adventures.
As for the spiritual darkness, I will pray for you to be a strong light, burning brightly in India. Here in Scotland, God gave me such a group of strong Christians to bond with! But, even still, the ministry needed here in the UK is unreal.
Will keep you in my prayers!
Always,
Victoria
I remember thinking about our core needs as humans on a particularly cold evening in upstate NY. No matter our race, religion, ancestry - we all wrap the coat a little tighter and drape the scarf a little closer on a night like that. We all feel cold. In a world of extreme diversity it was comforting to know we all could share a cup of hot chocolate. :-)
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