Total Eclipse

Read: John 1:1-9; Romans 8:38-39

Reid came to a stop, panting. He’d been playing tag with his cousins for the last twenty minutes. They were playing outside while they watched the solar eclipse. He took advantage of the pause in play to grab his cardboard glasses, adjust them to cover his eyes, and look up at the sky. The sun was now half-covered by the moon. Reid knew that eventually the moon would completely cover the sun. It was supposed to be dark. Reid really didn’t like the dark. He looked around and felt comforted knowing his cousins were close by.

The eclipse continued, and the sky grew steadily darker. As the eclipse approached totality, the time when the moon would completely cover the sun, Reid felt a chill run over his skin and realized the air was suddenly cooler. He felt the familiar fear of the dark, but then his cousins ran up and his aunt came outside, and he remembered he was not alone. He thought of something his Sunday school teacher had said—Jesus was with him in darkness.

When his aunt told him the eclipse had reached totality, Reid looked up at the sun. He was surprised by what he saw. The sun was completely blocked by the moon, but a bright ring shone around the moon’s edges. Reid suddenly remembered what his teacher told him the day before—the ring was the sun’s outer atmosphere, called the corona. The moon wasn’t big enough to block the corona! Reid looked around, realized that there was still enough light to play tag, and took off after his cousins.

That night, Reid told his dad about the eclipse. “I was surprised by the brightness of the corona that shone from behind the moon,” he said.

Dad looked at him thoughtfully. “It makes me think of the light of Jesus, which shines even in darkness.”

Reid smiled. “Dad, I felt Jesus with me today, even in the darkness!”

Dad squeezed Reid’s shoulder. “Satan tries his hardest to block out Jesus with the darkness of this world, but he just can’t do it. Like the sun with its corona, Jesus shines so bright that He always overcomes darkness. He came into the world to free us from sin and give us His light, and nothing can ever separate us from His love.”

–Chelsea Mohler

How about you? Did you know that no darkness in this world can block out Jesus’s light? If you’re facing a frightening situation, Jesus promises to be with you. If you’re struggling with sin and guilt, Jesus offers you forgiveness and gives you the power to turn from sin. If you’re feeling sad, He will comfort you. Remember that He is always with you, shining the light of His love into your life.

Today’s key verse: The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5 (NIV)

Today’s key thought: Nothing can block Jesus’s light