You Don't Have to Wait until Dark...Look Up

Photographs on today's blog taken by Mary Buske

This past week many were waiting for the lunar eclipse. Some stayed awake into the wee hours of the morning while others went to bed, set their alarms, and got up when it was time. I thought about doing one of these but decided, I'd just check out everyone's pictures the next morning on Facebook and the news.

I'm glad I didn't lose any sleep because most in my area reported on Facebook that due to the cloud cover, they couldn't see the full beauty of the eclipse. I did enjoy seeing the pictures on the news and the ones people posted on Facebook but they were more enjoyable because I wasn't exhausted from staying up all night waiting to see something I couldn't see.

As I thought about this, the families of the missing wait for something to happen, knowing the odds of their loved one being found alive are slim to impossible. Life is full of choices, to believe we'll never see our loved one again OR accept their discovery/recovery are in God's timing and wait on Him to answer prayers to bring him or her home. If we give up hope ,then we might not recognize the moonlight of night ,still shines during the day time. What does this require of us...to slow down and look up. With this analogy, you'll see the moon is still visible during the day.

On a deeper and more spiritual level though, we'll see God is with us in the darkest of days and times. Each of you has something that brings you sorrow, pain, anxiety, or grief. Not everyone's life tragedy makes it on the front page of the paper. Some of you might be going through something very difficult yet to those outside your immediate family, no one knows. Whatever your struggle today, I challenge you to look up. The Light is always there, waiting for us to call on Him. God is Light.

We start Easter weekend today, with the Maudy Thursday services. Tomorrow is Good Friday. On Sunday, Christians will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday. I spent more than a decade avoiding Easter and the joyous aspects of it. Instead of thanking God for sacrificing His Son for my sins, I falsely blamed Him for taking my sister. Twenty years later, I am able to enjoy the Easter season with more joy and hope than in the past. It's still difficult at times yet now I know the truth, this is a weekend of hope and truth.

As we thank God for the hope and eternal life we're guaranteed through our relationship with Jesus, we have to remember something - acceptance doesn't take away the hurt or prevent further pain BUT it does provide us with someone to lean on, call to, and rely on when the darkest hours come.

Look up...the Light never goes away. We just tend to look away. Life is full of choices...I choose to look up and seek His face, what is your choice?

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"Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
    be merciful to me and answer me.
My heart says of you, “Seek his face!"
    Your face, Lord, I will seek.
Do not hide your face from me,
    do not turn your servant away in anger;
    you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
    God my Savior."
Psalm 27:7-9

"I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord."
Psalm 27:13-14

"Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars?
He brings them out like an army, one after another,
calling each by its name. Because of his great power
and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing."
Isaiah 40:26

Will you give God whatever is weighing on your heart today?