Dark Chocolate & the Bittersweet

 If you know me, you know I love chocolate. I especially love dark chocolate. I've been pondering this week how dark chocolate is like a good story, bitter and sweet. As a reader and a writer, I want stories to contain each. To me, a story that is too sweet isn't entertaining. If there's no real struggle, what's the point? A book with too much struggle and too little triumph is frustrating. I want the happy ending, friends!

This week I obtained a copy of a book I dearly love, Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young. It has both the achy and beautiful qualities that make for a great story. In one scene, Fiske asks Eelyn how she is doing (presumably in reference to her physical injuries). Eelyn's response is, "everything hurts." Those two words are so impactful in light of the story. The reader understands Eelyn's answer is just as much, if not more so, in reference to the emotional struggle and situation she is in. It's what I call the gut punch, the moment where the story gives you all the feels.

Yesterday I was listening to Hillsong United. I've heard the song So Will I many times. But this time, a particular verse grabbed my attention.

"On a hill You created

The light of the world

Abandoned in darkness to die."

There is a bitter sweetness to the thought that the Creator of heaven and earth, willingly gave His life on a hill He made with His own hand, that He is light and allowed Himself to be abandoned to the darkness.

The Author of Life wrote us an achy and beautiful story of His own. There's struggle, triumph, violence, love, and the ultimate example of self sacrifice for a creation that constantly fails him. Bittersweet and impossible to ignore.

Exodus 15 speaks of the Israelites struggle in the wilderness at Marah, where they found bitter water. Despite Moses's grumbling, the Lord intervenes.

Exodus 15:25 (AMP)

". . . and the LORD showed him a tree, [a branch of] which he threw into the waters, and the waters became sweet."

The Lord provided a tree at Marah to sweeten the bitter waters. He died on a tree, to bring sweet to the bitterness of death. He was, and is, bringing life to the dead.

There will be struggle in life, my friends. There will be pain and hardship. We won't understand what God is doing sometimes. But in the midst of our pain, our bitter, He offers us hope. He shows us the silver lining. In the end, there is triumph and resolution. Rest in His grace today.

Love, J💙