Eclipsed

Wednesday night there was a complete lunar eclipse. I watched in dark and silence and warmth (mostly viewing from inside the house but for a few forays outside to attempt a photo) and got to thinking about my name. Diane comes from Diana, goddess of the moon, and a Christianized version of the meaning of the name is “in God’s glory”; to me it has to do with reflecting the light of God, like the moon reflects the sun's light. I desire to reflect God. What I really want even more than to reflect is to radiate His light, having the presence of God so bright within that it shines out.

But like the moon in the Earth’s shadow, I tend to not only - not radiate- but also to barely even reflect; I am oft in shadow, behind an ‘earth’ that gets between me and the sun/Son. That ‘earth’ most often is me.

Coincidentally, more accurately might I say providentially, also last night I read these words in Blue Like Jazz,

“The most difficult lie I have ever contended with is this: Life is a story about me… No rut in the mind is so deep as the one that says I am the world, the world belongs to me, all people are characters in my play. There is no addiction so powerful as self-addiction.”
- donald miller

Ouff, it is too true of me. I lose the white brilliance of Light’s rays: self-focus is my world that causes shadow. Thankfully, even when I get in the way, God still does a beautiful thing. Like the red coloring of the moon caused by the sunlight passing through the Earth’s atmosphere, so God curves around the obstacle of me. Instead of leaving me in total darkness, He colors me.

...even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. - Psalm 139:12 (NIV)

[The beautiful photo above is kindly shared by Thomas Knoblauch]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Thomas_Knoblauch_-_Lunar_Eclipse_small-43img_%28pd%29.gif#file]