There Goes The Sun...

August 21, 2017. Sitting on my back porch, looking up into the sky, at least as much as those black out glasses would allow. Then from out of nowhere, it seemed, a small, curved sliver of the sun disappeared. Then more. Then more again. The moon gradually eating away at the sun. Then only a quarter left. Then less. Then still less. Then the sun makes one last gasp and...the world around me stops. I'm looking up slack jawed, staring at the hole in the sky that used to hold the sun, leaving only this little ringlet of flames. A quiet darkness all around me for the next 2 minutes and 40 seconds. It is dark, and it feels as if I'm holding my breath. Then a feeling of rebirth as the sun light bursts through like a diamond on the right side, and the process is reversed, from dark to light. I remember to breathe again. What a beautiful world.

YouTube entertainers and reality stars are suffering burn out and depression on a much larger scale than their counterparts in the entertainment industry, according to an NPR news report earlier this week. It seems by having to be "on" 24/7, there is so much pressure to always be accepted and liked, it just builds up. These people are responsible for their own writing, directing, filming, acting, editing and even marketing for shows at least twice a week, often more. One agent (yes, they have agents!) said when he sees a client nearing that edge, he'll tell them to take a break for a day. Shut off all social media. Get away. Stop being a brand for a while, and just be yourself.

I'm sure at this point some of you think I've just swallowed the red pill and followed Alice down the rabbit hole. But bear with me. We live in a society that bombards us with news and entertainment non-stop. We work more, and vacation less. Even when we do vacation, it is planned to the last minute, lest we should miss something. Our phones, which are now so much more, can never leave our sides, and our thumbs cramp up from use.

I had a friend that used to say, "Sometimes you just need sit and stare into a corner, and watch the cobwebs grow." Even God took a day off. And he told man to do the same thing. Take a Sabbath. Rest. Recharge. Connect again with yourself and the God who made you. During the eclipse, the thing that kept going through my mind was Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God." On August 21st, millions of people did just that. They stood, they sat, and all gasped collectively with awe and humility at the majesty of God's creation. Hate, politics, prejudice, greed, all shrank to the background in the collective stillness and childlike wonder.

When you feel you've lost your joy, when life is never ending pressure, then allow yourself a break. Watch a sunset, watch an eclipse, watch the cobwebs grow. "Be still and know that I am God" means more than recognizing His Lordship. It means that we can rest because He is in control. He keeps us safe. He says "Take my yoke...for my yoke is easy and my burden is light" Matthew 11:29-30.

Be still, and know that I am God.
Be still, and know that I am.
Be still, and know.
Be still.