Eclipse

Last summer I worked at our mobile café during a solar eclipse. Several thousand people had gathered for a festival on the southernmost peninsula of England to view it. The solar eclipse was only a couple of hours away, but the early morning sky was thick with clouds. Would the sky clear in time for us to see this amazing event?

As the time drew near something very special began to happen. The thick, gray clouds began to split apart directly above our Caféand the brilliant sun penetrated right through the thin layer of haze.The haze was just thin enough to see the sun but thick enough to prevent the sun from hurting our eyes. Then, as the moon began to cross in front of the sun, it started to slowly disappear. Finally it was just a thin crescent. Loud shouts and cheers came from the excited crowd. The sky became darker and darker until it was as dark as night. The moon was now covering the entire sun. Thousands of dark silhouettes covered the hillside, their faces all fixed in the same direction. There was a great silence; no one moved. At that moment we got a real sense of how majestic and awesome our Creator is. We felt like a tiny speck in this massive universe. How thankful we were that we actually knew the One who caused this to happen. We had so much peace knowing that He was watching us, and that He did it so perfectly for us to see.

Others around us sat watching in fear. Many didn't know what would happen next. Some felt totally helpless, experiencing the power of an almighty Creator whom they knew little or nothing about. Some sat in the darkness with bad consciences that screamed at them. The lack of restraint and anything-goes atmosphere of the rock concert had caused many to go beyond their inner boundaries.

Then just as quickly as it had become dark and silent, it was light again. Relieved, the crowd burst into loud confusion as before. All the soberness and reverence was gone. The carnival-like mood replaced the quiet awe that all had felt. How easy it is to forget the greatness of the Creator and His creation! They had spoken, but how many had listened?

~ Hahyeh