I am black but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem,
Like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon.
— Song of Songs 1:5
If you are one who never touches the Lord, you will feel that you are suitable to serve the Lord. When you see yourself in the Lord’s light, however, you realize your blackness and condemn yourself. If you don’t come to the Lord, you don’t see your real condition. Because you serve, you think that your hands are not black, and because you follow the Lord, you think that your feet are not black. You may feel that some areas in your life harbor some blackness, but you do not feel that you yourself are that black.
When will we realize how black we really are? Only when the Lord shines upon us. When the Lord shines upon us in some certain aspect, we see that some part of ourselves is black. Therefore the Lord must shine upon us again and again until we realize that all that we previously regarded as acceptable and commendable is nothing but utter blackness. Even our love to the Lord comes out of a black heart.
Adapted from The Journey of Life, page 138.
Tomorrow: “Outward Darkness and Inward Beauty”