I’ve seen the eclipse of the Son, and no, I didn’t mean to say the sun. Although, I saw that one too and it was certainly a good physical example of a common spiritual circumstance.

I sat and watched as the sun was slowly obliterated by the intrusion of the moon and it reminded me of those moments in life when darkness creeps in and I can’t see the Light of Jesus.

It doesn’t mean I’ve stopped believing or lost my way, or that I’ll never see the Light again.  It means that something is blocking my view.

I will see the Son shining again if I patiently endure the darkness for a moment.

Scripture even mentions enduring to the end and I don’t think it’s talking about the literal end of the world.  Although, when darkness covers our lives it can certainly feel like the end of the world sometimes. But it isn’t.

 

An eclipse doesn’t last a lifetime and neither does the darkness. It might feel that way as my world becomes deathly silent and eerie, and frightening.

 

 

But if I simply take a cue from how the Earth reacts, I might calmly sit down and join the silence, and wait. It might be the very best response of all.

Because I know that my world will continue turning and eventually the blockage will move.

 

 

I walked through some darkness recently. I also did it a few months ago. And at another time a few months before that.

Each time I felt like crying and panicking. And that’s when it’s easy to see ‘condemnation’ shaking his bony finger at me while his friend ‘blame’ whispers blasphemy in my ear.  Then, of course, there’s ‘desperation’ driving the getaway car with his buddy ‘panic’ in the passenger seat trying to destroy my smallest shreds of peace.

I hate the darkness. I hate it with every ounce of my being. And I won’t tell you that I always handle it perfectly. It’s an ongoing lesson after all these years. My heart still breaks when I’m in the middle of it and the tears still flow freely.

But, I know Jesus never leaves me. Nor is He punishing me. And neither did I do something wrong to deserve this.

 

And sometimes it takes me a minute, but eventually, I remember experiences from the past. And I take a step back to consider this enemy.

Darkness is a game of smoke and mirrors that can’t actually extinguish the Light. It can only block my view for a moment. And not even for very long.

But ‘endurance’ is my friend. He’s a blah little guy who doesn’t get a lot of kudos and we think he’s rather annoying. Like ‘patience’, he doesn’t get a lot of love. We try to avoid them both or pretend they don’t exist for our benefit, but honestly, they do an amazing job albeit a difficult one.

They’re like the UPS guy wearing brown and scurrying around too busy to be very friendly. They’re all about the heavy lifting and persevering through the worst kinds of weather. But in their hands are wonderful gifts and exciting surprises that bring joy and comfort.

 

I try to remember to appreciate ‘endurance’. And to look forward to the gift he’s bringing. In the end, it will most surely make me rejoice that Father made this day for me.

 

 

I will always see the Son again when He bursts forth like that diamond ring effect at the moment darkness loses its place. The birds will sing once more and paradise will be evident again.

And that is what I learned from the eclipse.

Thank you for joining me on this journey. I’m sending blessings of love to accompany you on yours.

Faith