"the best leader comes from darkness ..."

that's what a friend of mine said last night while we were having dinner. i was very surprised when he said that but as i reflected it on it, it was actually very profound and true. i was also taken aback to hear it from him. he used to be a loud-mouth, marijuana-smoking, arrogant guy. he's now the mission volunteer for a church group i belong to. it's really a wonder how God uses everyone to deliver His message.

going back to what he said ... he explained it himself ... how can a leader without any taint counsel another when he doesn't know where a certain person is coming from? it's when you've experienced that darkness in your life and coming out of it into the light can you really serve as an example.

i'm not saying that we should all go to the dark but it's just that when we see people turning away from past destructive habits and becoming the beacons of light that they are now, it's a stronger message and a more powerful testimony. i don't mean to discount anybody's experience. i just feel that what my friend said holds so many truths. we can only truly know the difference between bad and good when we've lived and felt both like what our priest said ... a cup only knows its fullness when it's empty.

light can only be bright in the presence of darkness.