By Shannon Lenz, Spiritual Fitness Coach
On April 8, millions of people in the United States, Mexico, and Canada experienced their view of the sun completely obscured by the moon. For a brief moment, the light from the sun was totally eclipsed—a fascinating sight for sure.
But some creatures on the planet find the solar eclipse experience more unsettling than amazing. Experts say that animals become confused and afraid. When the sun stops shining in the middle of the day, their instincts tell them that something is not right. During the eclipse in 2017, a zoo in South Carolina observed how the sudden daytime darkness impacted different animals. They reported that during the two-and-a-half-minutes of total eclipse, gorillas went to their enclosures confused as to why their handlers weren’t putting them away for the evening, adult flamingos protectively surrounded their young from an unknown threat, and giraffes ran circles around their enclosures.
I watched the eclipse in 2017, and I distinctly remember feeling an eerie uneasiness as the birds and insects suddenly fell silent in the darkness. Something just didn’t feel right.
If I hadn't understood what was happening around me and knew that it was just a temporary phenomenon with a perfectly good explanation, I would have been terrified.
While a total solar eclipse is somewhat rare (we won’t have another opportunity to see one for 20 years), there are events every day that threaten to eclipse our faith. The world news is full of upheaval and violence. There is so much political posturing and corruption that we don’t know who to trust. Inflation and the tax season are causing financial stress for many American families right now. Plus, we all have our own personal problems. Family tension, relationship issues, serious illness, deaths of loved ones — this world is full of stress and suffering.
Seasons of darkness are eerie and unsettling for believers. In John 8:12, Jesus gave us this promise: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” But sometimes the world seems so dark, that we can’t see the light of the Son.
The solution? Don’t look around at the darkness. Instead, go back to the Bible and look for the Light. You see, God’s Word is like a pair of those special eclipse glasses that protect your eyes when you look directly at the sun. Scripture helps us understand what is happening around us and protects our hearts from total despair. When we look through the lens of Scripture, we can see the darkness for what it really is—a temporary darkness that is attempting to block out the light of the Son. There is a battle of good vs. evil, light vs. darkness going on right now. But when we go back to the Bible, we see how the story ends. The Light will overcome the darkness and the bright beauty of the Lord is still visible all around us every single day. We just have to look for it.
But we also have to be careful and discerning. I saw an article online that said eye experts are warning that counterfeit eclipse glasses are flooding the market. They look like the real deal but they actually do not protect your eyes from damage when looking directly at the sun! Yikes!
Likewise, this world is full of false hope, false promises, and false spirituality. False teachers preach a false doctrine that sounds good but twists the truth. It may seem like it’s hard to know who or what to believe. But, we don’t have to be vulnerable or fall victim to false teachings. Having a spiritual fitness routine can protect us and help us discern the truth from all of the lies.
If you are experiencing that eerie, unsettled feeling because the darkness of this world is threatening to eclipse your faith, go back to the Bible. Try looking at the world through the lens of God’s Word. Pray. Ask God to give you eyes to see the truth and wisdom to understand it. When you do, you’ll be reassured that the Son is still shining—and He always will.
PS: Be sure to check out all of the great Bible teaching content at www.backtothebible.org or, from your mobile device, click this link GOtandem from the App Store or Google Play and download our Daily Spiritual Fitness App.