The Radiant Midnight: Depression, Grace, and the Gifts of a Dark Place

?In The Radiant Midnight you will find not merely abstract ideas about the essence of darkness or how to go about facing it. You will also find humor, Wisdom. Honesty. You will find Melissa?s very bone and blood?it is here, then, in reading-rather, perhaps, listening to-her words, that your heart, trapped as it may feel in its own midnight, begins to see the first signs of dawn.? -Curt Thompson, MD, author of Anatomy of the Soul Grace and Hope for Long Dark Nights Have you ever suffered with depression, sadness, or the feeling that you just can't seem to get it together? Do you wonder if you could ever view your deepest wounds in a different light?   Through candid storytelling, biblical truth, honest lament, and unexpected humor, The Radiant Midnight is a bold refusal to simplify the experience of suffering by moving too quickly to try to relieve it. With questions to guide you and practical suggestions to lead you through dark moments, this book takes you on a journey of surrender, suffering, rest, and restoration as it encourages and comforts you in whatever struggle you face. The message of The Radiant Midnight is fueled by the passionate belief that not only will God lead you out of darkness, He will be fully and beautifully present within it. You can find deep contentment in painful circumstances and discover a profound intimacy with a compassionate, tender God who is with you in every moment-in each hope-filled dawn and every radiant midnight. Review ?There is that wisdom tradition that runs through our greatest stories that goes something like this: The thing you need the most can be found in the place you least want to look. The knights of the round table begin their quest for the holy grail by stepping into the part of the forest that looks darkest to them. The hero descends into the underworld to find the treasure guarded by the dragon. Luke Skywalker confronts his shadow self in a dark cave in Dagobah. The dark places hold the treasures of truth and wisdom that will lead us where we need to go. ?But it?s scary to go it alone and without a compass. So Melissa offers herself as a fearless tour guide into the unknown and gives us this compassionate book about her own journey into the dark to serve as handrails for those of us who find ourselves, willingly or not, descending into the underworlds of depression, pain, anxiety, and beyond to find the riches they hide. ?Henri Nouwen has said that a spiritual leader is one who walks into the darkness first in order to lead others through it. In this book, Melissa has demonstrated strong, loving, and trustworthy leadership.? -Jason Gray, singer and songwriter?Melissa?s voice and story are precious gifts to the church because they bear witness to the reality that the Christian narrative doesn?t always follow the path of celebration and triumph. For those of us whose lives are more a testament to darkness, suffering and survival, we too need to be reminded that our stories also belong to those of the family of God. The Radiant Midnight does this beautifully and honestly, offering compassionate and challenging insights along the way.? -David C. Wang, ThM, PhD, associate professor of psychology, Biola University; pastor of spiritual formation, One Life City Church?As a woman who has experienced a good bit of her life in the midnight hours, I?m grateful for another voice that tenderly and candidly calls attention to a subject many Christians have ignored. Melissa doesn?t just set the subject in front of you, but she digs deep and encourages you to push harder against the darkness than you may have ever dared to do. She combines Scripture, research, and her personal struggles in a way that will leave you with a new understanding of the heart of God for his children. Many of us (including myself) have felt unqualified for ministry because of our struggles with this invisible ache, and The Radiant Midnight reminds us of the glorious light that?s wo