A Story of an Eclipse

Finding hope amid daytime darkness

Happy eclipse day, everyone! I live in central Texas where we will experience totality. That means a solid four minutes of 100% coverage, and people are going nuts over it. There have been town hall meetings, schools canceled classes, we are expecting empty grocery store shelves and internet outages. It’s a big deal. Because the ever-present and life-giving sun is going dark in the middle of the day. People are traveling from all over for a glimpse at this spectacular event, and yet when we experience metaphorical darkness, when something blocks our view of the Son, it’s not so spectacular of an event. 

There are some people I know who are experiencing darkness in their lives right now, and I’ve been desperately trying to think of encouragement to share with them. It’s hard when I know that no words I can say can make their situation better. I can’t possibly imagine everything they’re going through. I can’t fix it. I can be there for them and ask them what they need, but they may not know. Or, honestly, what they truly need can’t come from me. Let’s talk about another eclipse, shall we?

“It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.” Luke 23:44-46

Truly, the darkest day in history. This was before they knew the science behind a solar eclipse. And also, this was for three hours, not just four minutes. Not to mention the spiritual and emotional darkness affecting the followers of Jesus as He was dying on the cross. What encouragement might comfort Mary or John in these moments? 

What I notice about this passage is that God is still working in this darkness. Jesus is dying. The sun is dark. All hope seems lost and yet…the veil is torn. The curtain that separated man from God in the temple was halved, from top to bottom, so that we could be reunited with Him. 

I’m not going to pretend to know why bad things happen in this world, or how it all fits into God’s plan. But what I will say is that He is still working in the darkness, and He can use those times to draw nearer to us. We just need to open our arms and hearts and run to Him. And remember that even on days like today, when the moon can block our access to the sun, nothing will ever separate us from the Son.