On April 8, 2024 parts of the USA stretching from Texas to Maine enjoyed a total solar eclipse. People traveled to the most affected parts of the country to witness the event. My nephew lives in Dallas TX and he met people who traveled from Bethesda MD to experience the full effect of the eclipse.
I smiled when a young teenager being interviewed on TV stated the total eclipse was “the best 2 seconds of my life”. I am sure it was a significant event in her short life but I would hope God blesses her with many years filled with wonderful memories.
It was interesting to hear some of the comments from the news media. One particular commentator became emotional as she described the event as very spiritual, without giving credit to the Being who created it all. She spoke to the beauty and awe of our amazing universe as if it created itself.
Frustrated, I yelled at my TV to her, “you are experiencing an eclipse alright, a ‘spiritual eclipse’ where you can’t even see the Creator and give Him credit”. Why are so many people unable to see God’s light? What is obscuring their belief in Him?
What are the objects in our lives
that eclipse God’s light?
The moon itself is pretty bright and remarkably beautiful in the night sky. But this rock is small compared to the size of the earth and especially the enormity of the sun; and yet when its orbit brings it between the earth and the sun, it blocks out the sun enough to darken our planet in the middle of a bright day.
Perhaps that is how we should evaluate the things of this world. If we acknowledge them as God’s creation and thank Him for them, I would think that is pleasing to Him. However, if we place them between us and God, they are keeping us from His light. Of course, we could rightly say sin stands between us and God. But that should be obvious. The bible has many examples of sins that grieve the Holy Spirit.
What about things God created for us, could they eclipse God’s light from us?
I have a sister who loves horses. She rides almost daily, sometimes multiple times a day. Thankfully, the passion for her horses does not come between her and God. She is a believer and a church going woman, she is thankful for her horses and her ability to ride them.
But what about the equestrian who is so passionate about their animals that they neglect to acknowledge God altogether. No, it is not the horse that blocks out God’s light from their life but their “passion” for the creature that blocks out God. When our overzealous passions for things of this world block out God, we create our own eclipse from His light.
I was watching a PGA tournament where a golfer birdied 7 of the last 8 holes to tie the leader and force a sudden-death playoff. I was rooting for him right up until he was interviewed prior to the start of the sudden death playoff. His responses were all about himself, his focus, and his determination to win. Thankfulness and humbleness were nowhere to be found. There was no mention of the people who helped him get to this point in his career: his parents, his coaches, his caddy and definitely no thanks to God for blessing him with his athletic ability.
But isn’t that what this world teaches today? The importance of self, succeeding by our own determination, focusing on our own wants, being the victor and standing tall at the top of the mountain.
How does one see God’s light when he or she is turned towards self or the “desires” of this world? I think it impossible to be turned towards God if one is turned towards one’s self and only interested in consuming the darkness this world has to offer. If you are filled with your own pride, there is no room for God’s light.
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness,
John 8:12 (ESV)
but will have the light of life.”
Once you turn towards His light, you become a new person. There’s a paradigm shift whereby you leave the old self, the egocentric self and become a theocentric person. You are no longer focused on this world; God is the center of your life.
“The hearing ear and the seeing eye,
– Proverbs 20:12 (ESV)
the LORD has made them both”
I love Pastor David Guzik’s explanation of this verse … “God has given men and women remarkable capacity to see and understand the world around them. Our ability to hear and see should be for us gateways to wisdom”.
Egocentric vs Theocentric
We all have the right to this gift but not everyone chooses to receive it. The egocentric person chooses to embrace and focus on the darkness of this world. That’s why Egocentric people don’t understand theocentric people. They can’t!
However, theocentric people certainly understand egocentric people because many of us used to be them. Theocentric people have learned to submit their wills to God. Just like egocentric people, theocentric people also have to live in this world; but now we walk in God’s light with eyes that see and ears that hear.
Who won the golf tournament?
In my opinion, God actually smiled on that young athlete! Everything was working in his favor as he had significantly outdrove his competitor on the playoff hole with a short lob wedge to the green. He walked confidently to his ball and all looked well until his second shot fell well short of the green and landed in the creek. It was a tough loss for him.
I believe God blest him! If the young man had gone on to win the tournament it would have validated his self-promoting remarks during the TV interview. However, God served him a slice of humble pie. I hope he got the message, because in order to be turned towards God and be filled with His light, you have to be humble and submit yourself to Him.
May His Holy Spirit help you to be turned towards Him and be filled with His light. -Amen
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