Into the Fire

[Mike Dellosso is promoting his latest novel Darlington Woods which I reviewed here on Friday. You can enter the contest for this book on the link provided at the bottom of that review or go to his website for opportunities to read more reviews and interviews with Mike. He offered to do a “Guest Post”, and I’m pleased to share his thoughts with you.]

Facing the Monsters

  I believe in monsters. I do. They're real, you know. Just as real as the computer screen you're reading this on. I should know, I've fought them face to face and battle them every day.

  No, I haven't lost my mind, I'm not speaking of dreams, and this isn't one of my fictional tales of suspense and horror. These are real life monsters.

  When I was a kid I had this recurring nightmare of standing on the front stoop of our house, scrambling to open the door while bony and deformed hands reached from the shrubs on either side for my ankles. I never made it inside without being caught. Now, as an adult I fight much more fearsome monsters, monsters like cancer and juvenile arthritis. Both gruesome and formidable foes.

  My "real job" is in physical therapy. I spend time with folks in their homes, fighting monsters side by side with them. These monsters look like Parkinson's and Cerebral Palsy, Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer's, and cancer. And I hate them, every one of them. They are merciless, ruthless, soulless beasts without conscience or respect. But they are oh so real and the fear they instill is also real.

  You have your own monsters. I know you do. They may not be any of the beasts I mentioned above but you have them. Maybe yours come in the form of an abusive husband, an unfaithful wife, a job-ending injury, or wayward child. Maybe it's a boss who's a tyrant or a co-worker who's a bully. Maybe it’s crippling arthritis or a speech impediment or some other physical ailment. Whatever it is, your monster brings fear and that fear pushes you further and further into the darkness.

  But there is a way out. There is something the monsters fear, something much larger than yourself. It is light . . . the Light. Light dispells darkness, banishes it, and exposes the monsters for what they really are, temporary afflictions with no power whatsoever over us.

  And you know what? The Light has come into the world and has given us his light. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12).

  We need only rely on him to shine his light in and through us, and that light will push back the darkness and the fear that spawns it.

  Will it be easy? Probably not. For most of us, fear has such a grip on our souls that it has become a burden we are accustomed to carrying. We've learned how to live with the fear, to manage it, to keep it at a comfortable distance all the while looking over our shoulder to make sure it isn't sneaking up on us.

  That's no way to live. We have that light within us, the light of life, just waiting to be pointed in the right direction and shined with all its strength. And when we do, when we shine our light, when we allow the Light to shine through us, fear will cower, monsters will flee, and darkness will be no more.

  Shine your light.

Lord, you defeat all the monsters. You are the true victor. Continue to bless Mike for all of his efforts to honor you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.