Will it be a dark day? Months ago, our neighborhood association began sharing information about what to expect on April 8, 2024. Interestingly the cautionary warnings focused more on stocking one's pantry with at least a week's supply of groceries, filling one's car with fuel before an influx of thousands of vehicles from out of the area make traffic congestion a stop and go kind of experience and if possible, choose to stay home. In our neighborhood, there are volunteers stationed at the gate to turn folks away that don't have a legitimate reason to be in the neighborhood.
Already in a small place like Blanco, America, rumor has it that there is an influx of people from various parts of the world. I have friends that eat breakfast at the Chess Club in Blanco every Saturday morning. The restaurant opens at 8:00 and my three friends always arrive a little early to be one of the first in line. Saturday morning, they were astonished to see 15 vehicles in the parking lot when they arrived. There was already a sizeable line outside the door.
One of my friends can strike up a conversation with anyone. Consequently, he surveyed the crowd. He found that they were all from outside the area. His next question was how did they know about the Chess Club? They were provided information from the proprietor associated to their place of lodging.
My friend told me the parking lot was full to overflowing by the time they left the restaurant. For the record, the General and I plan to stay put. We don't anticipate leaving the house today. The pantry is stocked, the vehicles are fueled, and we will view the eclipse by attempting to look through a filter of high clouds with the special glass needed for seeing the moon totally blocking the sun for about four minutes.
I awakened early this morning thinking about darkness. I'm not talking about the moon covering the sun and blocking its rays for a few minutes. I'm talking about the kind of darkness that knocks the breath out of you. The sense of pain that abruptly comes you way when a loved one dies; the difficulties of living with an empty chair can be debilitating. Perhaps the most vulnerable people in the world are those clustered together in ICU waiting rooms or at the bedside of a critically ill family member. Add to the list, the kind of pain always associated with a pending divorce or some other evidence of fractured family living. Family conflict has a way of creating a war zone rather than a loving environment. The sense of loneliness that leaves individuals without even a thought of whom they could call should they needed a shoulder to cry on or some other tangible evidence of support is at an epidemic level in our culture.
How many people do you know who seemingly are attempting to figuratively keep their head above the water? The tagline for their experience seems to be "when it rains it pours". I know people like that and probably so do you.
What about the stress of being two paydays away from bankruptcy amid rumors of a pending layoff at work? Darkness, it is all around us! I'm not talking about a four-minute interval when the moon covers the sun! I'm talking about days upon end that find people in desperate circumstances.
Jesus said of himself: "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." He also said to his followers: "Let your light shine before others" He explained that no one lights a lamp just to hide it under a basket. A lamp is meant to be placed on a stand to give light to everything around it.
Would you agree with me that ours is a world filled with darkness? What are we doing to shed his light? God doesn't need help with judgment; he needs help with coming alongside others at the point of need. That is how we best represent the light provided us through him.
All My Best!
Don
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