August 21st, 2017

So, you know what happened on August 21st, 2017, right?

I CELEBRATED MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wait.  That's not what YOU were doing on August 21st, 2017??

If you were like millions of other Americans you had your head tipped to the sky (glasses on) enthralled by the solar eclipse.

Count this birthday girl as one of the millions unable to turn my eyes from the sky at 1148am.

The weeks leading up to the eclipse it seemed like EVERYONE was talking about August 21st.  All the news stations were counting down to this day, just like I was.  Time and again, I overheard eager conversations of people busily making plans for this big day.

Albeit ridiculous, I'll admit to at times feeling a twinge of eclipse jealousy. (Yes, I know.  You can roll your eyes.  I can't see you.)  I found myself wanting to interrupt strangers' conversations to say, "Look people, yes, August 21st IS a super cool and awesome day-  BECAUSE IT'S MY BIRTHDAY FOR PETE'S SAKE!"

Luckily, I'm a year older, so I'm super mature now and never actually interrupted these conversations. Ha!

Yet as I stood there on August 21st, 2017 with my head tipped to the sky I found myself completely captivated.  Unaware of my birthday, or afternoon plans.  Actually, wholly unaware of much of anything except the glorious works of God's hand. It was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. 

"I am the Lord; That is my name; My glory I give to no other,  nor my praise to carved idols." Isaiah 42:8

In our humanity it's far too easy to think we're the center of the universe and that the world should stop and take note of us. But God is God alone! There is no other! He will not share His glory with another!

In my conversations over the last week, it has been easy to tell who truly experienced the eclipse. When you talk to those who experienced it, every one of them has this wonder and awe about them.  They just can't quite put words to what they saw and felt.  The shadow bands, the diamond ring, the temperature shift, the bats and street lights. And the color? Forget about trying to explain that! There are no Instagram filters that can mimic that! In fact, if you've gotten this far in the post and simply can't relate at all to what you've read, or if you're thinking, "yeah, I saw the eclipse for a minute, I don't see what the big deal was." I can safely assume you weren't able to experience the eclipse in its totality.  Because if you did, you'd know it.  It was undeniable.

"The heavens declare the glory of God!  The skies proclaim the work of Your hands!" Psalm 19:1

  The brokenness of this world has numbed our feeble, mortal hearts to wonder and beauty. We are surrounded by snowcapped mountains, white sand beaches, and skillfully crafted artwork, and yet more often than not we're left unimpressed. We've either been there or saw someone's instagrammed picture of it. Big deal. But we crave more, don't we? We want to see something that will steal our breath and command our attention. There's this gut level yearning in each of us to see and know and experience something in a way that we can't everyday. Somewhere, at our core, we know and hope for something greater to worship, something bigger than ourselves, our significant other, our money or our stuff. That something, is the almighty God!

"For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror, then we shall see face to face." 1 Corinthians 13:12

We crave a beauty and a glory that nothing in this world will ever fully satisfy.

As the watching world put their glasses on and tipped their heads to the sky, the God of the heavens AND the earth stole the show.  And for 2minutes and 10seconds the world was enraptured with a mere taste of the glory of God.  And it was beyond what anyone could have expected or imagined.

It stirred something up that has yet to settle. 

August 21st, 2017: A time in the United States when there is so much dissension and narcissism. A time when the only thing seemingly united about our country is our name. A time when a girl is concerned about her birthday being outshined by something greater. A time when celebrities become Presidents and taking innocent life is no longer front page news. 

Yes, at this very time, God, who is not bound by the laws of time, sought fit to move.  You see, God is a God of order. Long ago, He set the sun and the moon into orbit. It was God who separated the light from the darkness. The day from the night. This same God orchestrated a beautiful and glorious plan to redeem us unto Himself.  It was God who sent His only son to die for us, in order that we might live and not just taste His glory, but bask in it for all of eternity.  That God caused the moon to pass in front of the sun on August 21, 2017 in such a way that we all stood with our heads tipped to the sky in awe of His mighty works.

"For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles."  Romans 1:20-23

Yes, August 21st, 2017 was my birthday, but everyone had a chance to receive a gift that day. The gift of being reawakened to the vast glory of God. The gift of perspective.

My prayer is that August 21st, 2017 will continue to be a day we hear murmurs about throughout time.  But that the mention of this date would not be because of some girl's birthday, or even be about an eclipse.  No, my prayer is that we only remember the created in as much as it causes us to praise the Creator. That August 21st, 2017 would be the day that millions of people were awakened to the "glorious, ever-living God" and chose that day to acknowledge Him as such.      

"You alone are the LORD You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them and the heavenly host bows down before You." Nehemiah 9:6