Sometimes we feel lost when faced with a darkness in our life. We look for the tools to overcome it, but they aren't the right ones: Work harder, play harder, laugh louder.

The foe to darkness is light, not work. The foe to misery is hope, not anger. The foe to silence is talk, not tears. When we pray, we break our silence, a candle is lit, and we realize we aren't alone after all. God is with us, helping us to find the right tools. He helps us chase away the darkness with His light.

A Candle of Light
(A Jewish  Proverb)

“One day a group of pupils sat around lamenting the prevalence of evil in the world. There was so much darkness that they could not find a means to dispel it. Eventually they went to see a learned Rabbi and shared their concerns with him.

The wise Rabbi ruminated over the problem in silence for a moment. He then asked each of them to fetch a broom. He told them that his cellar was very dark and that they should go down to the cellar and clean out the darkness. The students, bemused at such a request, complied and went down to the cellar.

They soon returned and informed the Rabbi of their failure to clear out the darkness. The Rabbi then asked each of them to grab a stick. This time he asked the young men to beat the darkness until it went away. So the students went away again.

After a while they returned with abject faces having failed once again to get rid of the darkness. The Rabbi then told them to go back to the cellar and shout at the darkness. The students tried this also and returned even more confused and frustrated.

Finally, the Rabbi  gave each of them a candle and asked them one last time to return to the dark cellar. And so they went down to the pitch black cellar and one by one they set their candles alight until the darkness disappeared.”