The Dark Night Before the Light

(Why Spiritual Struggle Often Increases Before Breakthrough)

Many people assume that when faith feels harder, something has gone wrong. Prayer dries up. Clarity fades. Peace feels distant. But Scripture and the saints tell a different story. Darkness often appears just before light breaks through.

This became real to me a few years ago after the sudden death of a close relative. The loss was unexpected and heavy. Grief did not stay neatly contained. It moved through every part of life. Emotionally, spiritually, physically, and mentally, everything felt unsettled. What I longed for most was reassurance. A sense that God was still near.

Scripture reveals the pattern of light and darkness

Isaiah 60:2
“Darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you.”

Scripture does not deny the darkness. It acknowledges it. Light does not pretend the night is not there. It enters it.

God often works quietly in seasons that feel heavy. What feels like delay is often preparation.

The saints named this experience honestly

St. John of the Cross called it the dark night of the soul. He taught that God sometimes withdraws felt comfort so deeper trust can take root.

St. Isaac the Syrian wrote that when grace is reshaping the heart, struggle may increase for a time. Not as punishment, but as healing.

Reading the lives and words of the saints was grounding. Their honesty about suffering was reassuring. Even in modern times, figures like St. Teresa of Calcutta spoke openly about prolonged spiritual darkness. This struggle was not unique. It was human.

This was not abandonment. It was formation.

Science helps explain the strain of transition

Physiology and psychology describe something called adaptation energy. When systems change, stress often rises before stability returns.

Muscles burn before they strengthen. The nervous system feels unsettled before it resets. Growth requires energy, and that energy can feel uncomfortable.

Grief works in a similar way. It moves in cycles. It returns in waves. Spiritual life often follows the same rhythm.

What feels like resistance may actually be renewal underway.

How I now respond in dark seasons

Learning that grief is cyclical changed how I walk through hard times. The saints showed me that struggle comes to everyone, and that Christ is present even when consolation fades.

Now, instead of panicking when darkness returns, I slow down. I stay faithful to small practices. I pray simply. I allow grief its space without rushing it away.

I trust that Christ is with us in despair, not waiting on the other side of it.

Why this matters

Hollow Wellness teaches escape from struggle. The Cult of Hustle teaches pushing through it. Blue Church Living teaches something older and truer.

Darkness does not mean failure. It often means transformation is happening beneath the surface.

The night does not cancel the dawn. It prepares the eyes to receive it.