Totality or Bust!

 

"Totality or bust!"  The caption on the back of the GMC Jimmy read.  "See you in the Smokies!"  Apparently someone was taking the solar eclipse fairly seriously.

Judging by the traffic moving on Sunday afternoon, a lot of other folks were in the mood to see the sun blocked by the moon for about two and a half minutes.  Of course, it's pretty easy to block the sun.  I did it just the other day with my hand, I think you could use a piece of paper, and every evening, around sun down, the earth itself blocks the sun from our eyes -- what I like to call a "terrestrial eclipse."

Now, for those who have lived through a "terrestrial eclipse," they will tell you that it is a sight to see.  It gets much, much darker than during your standard solar eclipse, the stars come out, and sometimes you can even see a full moon visible.  In addition, no special glasses are needed to look at the sky during it.

I suppose all of this begs the question "What is the significance of objects coming between the sun and the earth?"

In the ancient times, when people worshiped the sun it was a big deal.  The sun was getting sick and that spelled death and destruction within the realm.

These days, we understand all sorts of things.  We know that the earth goes around the sun and that the moon goes around the earth.  We know that solar eclipses are a spectacle to be marveled at through NASA approved, cardboard framed solar glasses.  We know that the end of the world may be coming, but not because of the eclipse.  We know that the traffic after a solar eclipse makes it feel like the end of the world.

I think of all of this and it comes to my mind that this is very much like our relationship with God.  He is our sun and the One on whom we depend.  At the same time, there are times when it feels as though there is darkness between us and Him.  There are periods when our prayers seem to go no farther than the ceiling.

It is easy in these moments to believe that God is truly distant from us, that He no longer cares and has abandoned us to the whims of an uncaring Universe.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.  Instead, it is only on our side that He can't be seen.  On His side, He continues to shine as brightly as ever and He still hears and answers our prayers, regardless of how "high" we think they are going.

In the midst of the darkest eclipse we can know without a doubt that God is still there and He has not changed one iota.

The darkness, however deep, is only temporary.