The Abyss Opens

I'm a trauma therapist, and I read John's image of the abyss opening and smoke coming out as he's describing psychological and spiritual darkness.

When people have severe trauma, sometimes there's an abyss - a deep darkness that seems bottomless. And the smoke from it can cloud everything. I see that in my clients' eyes.

But John doesn't end with the abyss. God has keys to it. There's a limit to the darkness. And that limit - knowing the abyss isn't infinite - that helps people survive their trauma.

I'm learning to name what John knew: darkness is real. The abyss is real. But it's not ultimate. And being able to say that to someone in the darkness - that there's an edge to it - sometimes that's the difference between hopelessness and survival.