The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light;
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death,
light has arisen.
Matthew 4:16 ( Alleluia verse)
Before the Industrial Age, most work was completed when the sun set, and began again as soon as daylight allowed. Nowadays, we can work around the clock, and can communicate with people in different time zones. Have you texted someone at odd hours and then seem surprised when they reply? With all of my children, my phone is near me 24/7 just in case they need something or want to chat, and that's fine with me, but then I realized that I am not giving myself and God enough quiet time, and in the solitude and quiet space that is necessary for us to hear God's voice, isn't the darkness of night an interesting way to take away some of the daily distractions?
As Christians, we say we are a people of light, but what if we don't give ourselves that space of darkness to unwind? If we are always doing something, then are we spending enough time being a human being? In a few days, on Jan 31, there will be a beautiful full moon, and even an eclipse that should be visible to us in the eastern US right before sunrise. I hope it isn't too cloudy and I hope we can witness God's majestic universal-ness and put away our small worries and realize just how beautiful and precious our lives really are.
