This is a special eclipse edition of the blog and is about the apocalypse, darkness, and light.

Today is eclipse day, and in Indiana we are fortunate enough to be in the path of totality.  Recently, my family attended a presentation about the eclipse.  During the session, we watched a video that discussed eclipses since ancient times.  The narrator shared that in the days of early civilizations, people were terrified of eclipses.  Once the sky went dark, these people believed it was the beginning of the apocalypse.  They had no idea that the darkness was fleeting and that the light would return. 

My kids were fascinated by this and wondered why people would feel this way.  I told them to imagine that they had no idea what an eclipse was.  I asked them to imagine that the same routine of the sun rising and then setting had occurred over and over and over again.  Then, one day something different happens.  It’s dark when it should be light, and you don’t know how long the darkness will last.  Wouldn’t that be scary?  They agreed it would be.

What does this have to do with life?  I don’t know about you, but my life isn’t always bright and happy all the time.  Sometimes there are periods of darkness.  There are periods of trials, tribulations, sadness, and frustration.  When these periods first start encroaching on light, joy, and happiness, it can feel like it’s going to be that way forever.  It can feel like it’s your own personal apocalypse, the beginning of the end of things.  It can feel like you’ll be stuck in that shadow forever.  However, the darkness is fleeting.  The light is there.  The light is always there.  Sometimes, we just have to be able to make it through the darkness, so we can embrace the light again.

The challenge: Will you remember that the darkness is fleeting?  Will you remember that the light is still there?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry