Confession: I Didn’t Care About the Eclipse
The world is all a-flutter about the Solar Eclipse today. You guys, I honestly don’t care very much. Or at all, actually. I don’t care very much at all. I’m not scientifically minded, and things like this just don’t ring my bell.
Everybody keeps saying this only happens once every hundred years, but people also keep telling me their memories of when this has happened. I have my own memories of my freshman year in high school, when we all piled outside to watch it happen, and there was much hullabaloo about protecting your eyesight, and even still one of my classmates not only looked at the sun, but he watched the eclipse through a microscope. With scorched retinas, he wore sunglasses to school for weeks.
(I often wonder how his eyes are now, if he looks back on that sunny-shady day of the early nineties as his life’s greatest mistake.)
Anyway, I don’t care very much. I just don’t. My apologies to you, science teachers and meteorologists and people whose world revolves around the paths of the moon and sun. Literally and figuratively.
But then I read Job this morning, and I gathered these words scattered throughout the late chapters of the book.
Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Who determined its dimensions and stretched out the surveying line? Where does light come from, and where does darkness go? Can you take each to its home?
Do you know the laws of the universe? Can you use them to regulate the earth?
He directs the snow to fall on the earth and tells the rain to pour down.
Then everyone stops working so they can watch his power.
We cannot imagine the power of the Almighty.
~ Job 37, 38
And I remembered why it matters.
The world is a-flutter over the Solar Eclipse, and people will stop working so they can watch it happen.
They will step away from their busyness and their business
to marvel at the power of a mighty God who knows the universe,
the One who is in charge of the sun and the moon and the planets,
the One who knows their path,
the One who knows our paths, too.
And this makes my heart pause to remember
how small I am,
how big He is,
and how wonderful it is when I stop and remember,
stop and look,
stop and see.
Happy Solar Eclipse, everyone. Take a moment to marvel.
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Sandy M says:
Well said. I think people get really caught up in all the hype and tend to follow the crowd. I looked at it for a couple seconds—- my exercise instructor stopped class to have us look at it with her special glasses. It was cool, but certainly not worth driving in heavy traffic for hours!
I enjoy all God’s creation.
Miffy says:
I’m with you…it just didn’t ping on my consciousness. Aaaand, I didn’t care. Honestly, I was in the basement, working (on my spreadsheets). And when Expo happened in my city, and everyone was nuts for it, I didn’t go that that either. I hate big crowds, and I just don’t care to line up for much. Grand Canyon? I’ll watch the drone pics, thank you very much. I told my darling husband this, and he told me I’d appreciate it more if I was a hiker. (Could I do it in heels?) But just maybe – allow me some solitude, give me my Bible, and let me meditate on the word – especially the LORD’s words to Job, and I bet I’d see it differently. Thanks for the perspective!
Jeannie Reneau says:
Thank you for this. I was feeling like I really missed something because I did not care. This totally makes sense.
Wendy says:
Eloquently stated! It was a masterpiece of his handiwork!
Louise Brown says:
I had the pleasure of taking my grandson to observe the eclipse today. He’s eleven and interested in dinosaurs, the oceans, and space.
Being a grandma I realize this was probably my last chance to see such an event. We make great partners for such things. We chose our destination at the last minute; library maybe too tame, museum too far.
We went to Regis University and had a marvelous time. In spite of many people it didn’t feel crowded and people were friendly. Everybody pretty much did their own thing, including three men next to us, two of whom were making sure their wheelchair bound friend was comfortable and able to observe the gradual eclipse. And families. And students. And old folks. I guess for me the essence of the experience was that this diverse crowd had gathered to observe and celebrate
( a cheer went up at the moment of greatest coverage) an event over which we nor any other human had any control. Some things are still in God’s hands.
Stephani says:
Lady – I am right there with you!!! People were running down the hall at work and I was like – “nah – I’m good thanks!” Must be something about the writer/communicator in us. #notmythingeither!!!
Jessica Renshaw says:
That’s wonderful and true–but there’s more! From Genesis on, the Bible says God gives us messages (signs) in the sun, moon and stars. They don’t just occur randomly. God is communicating to us through them. When Jesus died there was an eclipse (three hours of darkness in mid-day) and a great earthquake (stones were split, tombs broke open). Triangulate those astronomical and geologic events with the year Jesus died (AD 33) and you get the date April 3. Message: Jesus was a real man and a significant one who really died at a real point in history–and the earth itself was powerfully affected.
King Jesus said there would be signs in the sun, moon, and stars foretelling His second coming. Today’s eclipse occurred worldwide on Elul 1 according to the Jewish calendar–the only calendar that counts as far as Biblical events are concerned. Elul 1 is the first day of the 40-day countdown to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. (Seven years from now there will be another solar eclipse–on Nisan 1, the first day of the 40-day countdown to Passover!) That must be significant. God may intend this to be a time of global repentance. Forties are significant in Scripture. Messianic Jews believe the 40-day fast of Jesus in the wilderness began on Elul 1 and culminated with his public revealing of himself as the Messiah in the Temple on the Day of Atonement. And that Jonah’s 40-day calling Ninevah (modern Iran) to repentance culminated on the Day of Atonement with the repentance of the nation.
All, all, all of it means something. It is the Lord letting his prophets know ahead of time what he is going to do. Even though we don’t know exact day of His coming, He doesn’t leave us clueless. Message: Reminder, look up! The King is coming! Hallelujah!
D. Campbell says:
Wonderful words…as always!!!