Sitting in the Tension

We sat in awe on my parents’ front lawn as we watched the moon slowly eclipse the sun. We knew it would be cool, of course, but I don’t think any of us realized how incredible the sight would be when it reached totality. It was truly breathtaking. You couldn’t help but think of the majesty and glory of God, it was so very evident. A couple things stood out to me as I sat there with my family watching this amazing phenomenon, the first being that even when the moon was directly blocking the sun, the light from the sun wasn’t totally hidden. You could still see it. The earth darkened, the temperature dropped, and the sun was hidden from view, but the light was still there peeking around the darkness. It was beautiful. Once the totality was complete I noticed something else~ it only took the tiniest sliver of sun to bring a substantial amount of light back to the earth. Just a little speck and it started to look normal again.

As I sat there I couldn’t help but make the correlation between both of those and times of “darkness” in my own life. Times when I was convinced the darkness of circumstances was going to completely eclipse the light of God’s goodness and love. Times when it appeared that darkness had taken over and light was no more. Yet, light overcame. Light always overcomes. Think about when you’ve lit a candle or turned on a flashlight in a dark room. When the light is lit, the darkness has no choice but to vanish. It’s impossible for darkness to swallow up light. Isn’t that just how it is with the light of God? The darkness of sin and pain and sorrow can never extinguish the light of God’s grace and mercy and love. Even when our circumstances make it hard for us to see that light and we wonder if we’ll ever see it again, it’s there all the same. The darkness won’t last forever.

Maybe today you find yourself in a place of darkness. In a place where it seems like the light has dimmed or has even been snuffed out. Keep searching for the light. Keep searching for the One who is the source of that light. Start to open your eyes to the beautiful things that are still all around you. Things that maybe you haven’t noticed because you’ve been focused solely on the darkness. Look for the light. Soon you’ll begin to see just the tiniest sliver and the light will start to shine again.

Sitting in the tension of light eclipsed by darkness.