Come and Eat Special Food in the Dark

Come on in to my dark room and taste a sweet truth about my calling.

Digital photography has literally taken the place of the 35 mm camera. People my age or older would take great pictures and have to send them away to go through a process to get developed, and then we would hope to receive good images after a few days in the dark room.

Christine Caine, author of Unstoppable, challenged me to think of my calling as not my career. Though she doesn’t know me, it sure did sound like she did when she preached at She Speaks in North Carolina a couple weeks ago.

She described the dark room as the place where God was going to prepare me. I have had my share of going into the dark room, but now I find myself wanting and needing the dark room more than I ever have before.

My dark room days as a child started when I was left all alone, as soon as mother left home. My dark room days as a teenager were wrapped in all sorts of badness such as drugs, immorality, and all types of gang activity. My dark room days as a young Christian were smothered in physical, sexual, and mental abuse.

But then there were dark room days as a godly woman and although they were overpowered by the love of God, and the grace that only He could give, it was a painful time. The Lord called me into the dark room for one whole year to be totally unavailable for any dating relationships, to step down from ministry, give up my social life, and stay home with my three children trusting Him to provide while living on $250 a month. Wow was that a hard time.

But in that time, He forgave me, cleansed me, purified me and made me ready in my dark room days for the godly man that made me his wife.

God gave me a testimony and it is human nature to want to share it. I wrote a book. I wanted the whole world to know about my God, and what He has done for me. Isn’t that the natural response? I would think so. However, since writing the book the dark room days have been minimal, because the spotlight has been on me. Yes I have been self marketing. I have been trying to get my book in the right hands; so that if I could just get it into the right hands then surely I would be noticed by the world and surely everyone would want my book. NOT!

Until that conference I thought I had enough dark room days for my entire lifetime, but obviously if my image is what I am still seeing in my day to day actions, then I need the dark room again so that ONLY His image can be seen in me. In the process of His Image being developed in me, I am so willing and ready to go back into the dark room until He comes and finds me and tells me to come out. So if you are wondering where I am, you will find me in the dark room waiting for the image of the Son to be forever impressed in my heart. Then my light will shine.

Many lives were changed after hearing this talk from Christine. I encourage my readers to listen to this message on the dark room. She had a slightly different angle when speaking to 800 writers/speakers but the message is still the same. Be sure you know the difference between a career and a calling.