by: Mary Priscilla | India Country Director & Becky Knott | Church Partnership Director
Driving around the hectic streets in one of the most populous cities in India, one can feel a heaviness in the air. Smog hangs overhead. Trash fills the streets. Beggars meander through the labyrinth of rickshaws and motorcycles with palms extended. Stalls filled with idols line the streets. Smears of red pigment mark nearly every forehead. There is fear…fear of not being able to feed the children…fear of offending a god known as “The Destroyer” who could at any moment open his third eye and bring an end to the world.
One single mother shuffles through this chaotic scene. Her brightly colored saree stands in contrast to the surroundings. She hurries about her day doing her duties, but all the while feeling trapped in darkness. The unexpected loss of her husband has pushed her into a gloom unlike any other. There is financial darkness because her bread-winner is gone. There is emotional darkness as she remembers kissing her loved one goodbye and as she pictures the confusion and pain displayed on her children’s faces. There is darkness in the constant fear that creeps into her heart as she worries about her family’s safety. There is no security. Her future looms darkly ahead, due to the loss of hope and the constant uncertainty.
For women like her, a simple handout will not do; nor does the thought of an endless cycle of reincarnation lift her spirits. Something more powerful must enter into the deep darkness. Matthew 4:16 says, “the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned” (NIV). The only light that can truly penetrate this darkness is the light of Jesus.
When a church comes alongside a single mother through the Home Based Care program, they hand-deliver light to her and her family. The darkness of financial struggles is cast out as financial support brings relief and puts food on the table. Grief and pain are soothed by emotional support offered by social workers and church members who enter into the darkness full of hope to share. The mother and her children no longer have to fend for themselves. There is tangible help as employment opportunities for the mother are explored and assistance and guidance for the children’s education is given. There is now someone to call upon at any moment when help is needed. The fear of gods who demand and destroy is cast out by the truth that the God of the Bible loves lavishly, upholds justice, and cares for the brokenhearted. The future is brighter knowing the reality of an eternal inheritance that is not earned, but given freely to those who believe.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.” (Psalm 139:11-12 NIV)
For families thrust into utter darkness and despair by poverty and loss, there is hope. No darkness is too oppressive for the Lord. No shadow can remain in his presence. Jesus says in John 8:12, that he is the “light of the world”. As carriers of his Spirit, the church goes forth bringing lanterns of his light to the lonely, vulnerable, and despairing. At times, one may underestimate the impact this light can bring just by supporting these families in small ways through the Home Based Care program, but as each family receives the light into their lives, they are empowered to spread it to others around them.
Under the cover of the perceived darkness in India, there is a current of light. It spills out of the church into the streets. It flows over the thresholds onto dirt floors in meager concrete homes. It illuminates the future for the hopeless. Though all one may see is darkness, the light is at work under the surface and it will break through. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5 NIV)