There is healing in total darkness
when the garish light
of public life strains
the retina of insight
and the glare of the noonday sun
of harsh reality overwhelms,
when acrid light
casts a jaundiced hue
on every dainty glen
and lush bower
that should bring delight;
when light choked
with the smog of callousness
stings the eye:
there is healing
in the total darkness
of the night.
There is healing in complete silence
for ears weary of incessant chatter,
the clacking of the mahjong chips
of the transactions of chance,
the blare and roar of traffic,
the inroads of noise and loud disco music
jangling the tendrils of the inner ear,
the vileness of daily gossip
and aspersions:
there is healing in the silence of solitude.
There is healing in total abstinence
when taste buds are cloyed
with too much pastry
or with a surfeit of feasting,
when indulgence plagues
the belly with indigestion
or flatulence:
there is healing in abstention for a season.
There is healing in sleep
when eyes bloodshot
through lengthy hours
at the desktop
or through long sittings
of heart-rending serials
begin to itch and vision is blurred;
when too many deadlines
weigh down on the mind
till thought-processes are impaired;
when onerous tasks
cause shoulders to stoop,
and symptoms of illness
flash red:
there is healing only in long sleep.
There is healing in prayer,
when the tides of change sweep away
the sandcastles of material wealth,
when the limits of drugs and surgery
are breached
and the measure of human knowledge
falls short;
when the loss of a loved one
is aspic to the soul
bringing grief inconsolable;
when a pall of darkness
drapes each day
without relief,
the spirit turns to its Creator
out of mind in times
of spice and fatness
but a very present reality
and source of comfort;
He alone can bring transformation
and the miracle of healing
if He wills it.
There is true healing in prayer.
There is healing in death
for those who believe
in the redemptive power
of the Blood of the Lamb,
for the Gates of Paradise
are open to those whose names
are inscribed in the Book of Life;
there are no more tears,
nor suffering, nor pain
but youthful and abundant bliss
in the presence of the Father
for all Eternity:
there is ultimate healing in death.
Dr Oliver Seet –
is a member of Wesley Methodist Church and a Board Director of the Metropolitan YMCA.