There are many rooms

“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering”. Wisdom from Yoda.

There are many paths in life. Things happen to us every day. Our emotions are in a constant swirl. When they are in a spin they can lead us down a slippery slope. Unchecked, our heart may end up entrapped.

There are many rooms, even on the dark side. Anger is a common emotion. Caught by it, we become vengeful. Unable to strike back, it turns into hate. Unchecked, we are trapped in bitterness. We find our self somewhat like in a dark room, unable to get out.

In that dark, despairing silence, we hear a faint voice that says, “Forgive, let go”. It is like a faint ray of light entering the darkened room. A door is opening, but we must forgive to get through that door into light. But often we refuse, preferring to grovel in self-pity thirsting for our own image of justice.

His image dominates the door. He beckons us to come out and trustfully follow him. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God still, and trust in me”.

The way out of the many dark rooms we find ourselves in is simply to love. Not simple, not easy but once experienced it is so liberating that it gives us strength to do it again. Forgiveness is born out of love. Self-giving and denying hatred too is born out of love. Love quenches that thirst for revenge. Love is His way, the only Way.

We refuse to follow. We do not want to believe. We prefer to have things happen our way. We place our hopes on our own version of truth. We want to save our life but we end up losing it. Repeatedly we allow our emotions to lead our heart into dark rooms. Faithfully, Love waits and continue calling.

“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life”. There are no other ways.

We are a diverse people. We are of different faith and belief. Whoever is our identity, we can only leave our dark rooms through the only one door unlocked by the only key. We turn the key by giving instead of taking, by losing instead of winning, by being generous instead of hoarding, by caring first for the other instead of for self. This key is Love, the only way we can go, the only truth that will fulfil our every hope and the only key to be alive and have life to the full.

Love is recognizable only through action; our action. It does not take into account what our faith and belief are. It is for everyone. Jesus came and died for every one of us. For “there are many rooms in my Father’s house”.