The Eclipse is My Excuse
The Eclipse is My Excuse.
A few days ago, we all experienced the solar eclipse in different ways. Some ran outside with those funny looking paper glasses to watch as the crest turned over into the full eclipse, and then crested back over. Some people couldn’t care less and didn’t watch at all. Some people watched on the news. By the way, isn’t it interesting that news channels always find the strangest most out there people for their interviews on stories like these?
Getting back to the eclipse… others took the celestial movement to be a sign of some sort. A sign of the government doing what governments do for control. Even a sign of the second coming of Christ. While I’m not here to debate for or against the validity and possibility of these apocalyptic presentations, it got me thinking about shadows.
But first, since we’re talking about celestial cycles, one finds it hard to think about how we are spinning on an axis, around the sun, and through our galaxy. And yet we can remain perfectly still and unmoved. Many believe this to be the work of sheer happenstance given enough time.
And it is time that allows us to consider these shadows that we have allowed or created in our lives. Shadows are only created or cast by a source of light. Shadows are sometimes figments of reality. Shadows are sometimes skewed reality. Shadows are sometimes distorted or manipulated reality.
Shadows are not cast in darkness. It is only light that can cast shadows, and it is only light that can reveal what made them in the first place. Often times, shadows miscalculate our perception to make us think things are bigger than they really are.
Shadows have been a part of this planet since God created it. Trees, mountains, animals, clouds… they have all cast shadows since their beginning, and will until their end. Humans have experienced them since the time of Adam.
Even the mightiest of men have had to deal with them. King David famously wrote the 23rd Psalm at a time in his life that many would call a season of depression. In verse 4 he writes, “even when I go through a valley with a death-like shadow, I will not fear" (my own literal translation).
He prefaces this verse by saying that God is his shepherd. The Shepherd takes care of him. Feeds him. Protects him. Comforts him. This is because he knows it’s not a matter of if he’s going to walk through a valley, it’s when.
And this isn’t any run-of-the-mill valley. This is a valley where death is shadowing you. Where death is trying to blot out your source of light. Where death is trying to get you to believe that it is inevitable - you might as well give up and succumb to it.
But we have to remember, just like the eclipse, a shadow is only cast when something gets in front of the light source. When something gets between you and the sun. The valley of the shadow of death is when something gets between you and the Son.
You see, just like shadows that get cast, the sun didn’t change. The sun didn’t move. The sun didn’t stop shining. No. We allowed something to get in between us - that’s what casts the shadow. Stuff just gets in the way.
The sun is still shining. The Son is still shining. The light is still shining. His light is still shining. But maybe we’ve allowed some shadows to get between us? Maybe we’ve let that shadow manipulate and distort our line of sight of the light.
If that’s you, let me ask you a few questions.
What’s getting between you and the Son?
What’s getting in your way?
What’s casting a shadow?
Light also doesn’t only come from an external source. Jesus told us that we are the light of the world. Therefore, with Jesus, we have an internal source of light. And no shadows can be cast when we shine from within. In fact, when we shine, we expose the darkness for what it really is.
So shine your light. Shine His light. And if something gets between you and the Son, hold on. Just like the eclipse, this too shall pass.
A few days ago, we all experienced the solar eclipse in different ways. Some ran outside with those funny looking paper glasses to watch as the crest turned over into the full eclipse, and then crested back over. Some people couldn’t care less and didn’t watch at all. Some people watched on the news. By the way, isn’t it interesting that news channels always find the strangest most out there people for their interviews on stories like these?
Getting back to the eclipse… others took the celestial movement to be a sign of some sort. A sign of the government doing what governments do for control. Even a sign of the second coming of Christ. While I’m not here to debate for or against the validity and possibility of these apocalyptic presentations, it got me thinking about shadows.
But first, since we’re talking about celestial cycles, one finds it hard to think about how we are spinning on an axis, around the sun, and through our galaxy. And yet we can remain perfectly still and unmoved. Many believe this to be the work of sheer happenstance given enough time.
And it is time that allows us to consider these shadows that we have allowed or created in our lives. Shadows are only created or cast by a source of light. Shadows are sometimes figments of reality. Shadows are sometimes skewed reality. Shadows are sometimes distorted or manipulated reality.
Shadows are not cast in darkness. It is only light that can cast shadows, and it is only light that can reveal what made them in the first place. Often times, shadows miscalculate our perception to make us think things are bigger than they really are.
Shadows have been a part of this planet since God created it. Trees, mountains, animals, clouds… they have all cast shadows since their beginning, and will until their end. Humans have experienced them since the time of Adam.
Even the mightiest of men have had to deal with them. King David famously wrote the 23rd Psalm at a time in his life that many would call a season of depression. In verse 4 he writes, “even when I go through a valley with a death-like shadow, I will not fear" (my own literal translation).
He prefaces this verse by saying that God is his shepherd. The Shepherd takes care of him. Feeds him. Protects him. Comforts him. This is because he knows it’s not a matter of if he’s going to walk through a valley, it’s when.
And this isn’t any run-of-the-mill valley. This is a valley where death is shadowing you. Where death is trying to blot out your source of light. Where death is trying to get you to believe that it is inevitable - you might as well give up and succumb to it.
But we have to remember, just like the eclipse, a shadow is only cast when something gets in front of the light source. When something gets between you and the sun. The valley of the shadow of death is when something gets between you and the Son.
You see, just like shadows that get cast, the sun didn’t change. The sun didn’t move. The sun didn’t stop shining. No. We allowed something to get in between us - that’s what casts the shadow. Stuff just gets in the way.
The sun is still shining. The Son is still shining. The light is still shining. His light is still shining. But maybe we’ve allowed some shadows to get between us? Maybe we’ve let that shadow manipulate and distort our line of sight of the light.
If that’s you, let me ask you a few questions.
What’s getting between you and the Son?
What’s getting in your way?
What’s casting a shadow?
Light also doesn’t only come from an external source. Jesus told us that we are the light of the world. Therefore, with Jesus, we have an internal source of light. And no shadows can be cast when we shine from within. In fact, when we shine, we expose the darkness for what it really is.
So shine your light. Shine His light. And if something gets between you and the Son, hold on. Just like the eclipse, this too shall pass.
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