The Path of Totality
When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord…
Jeremiah 29:13-14a
By now, you would have had to be living under a rock these past few months to not be aware of the solar eclipse taking place today! The “Path of Totality,” or the path of the moon’s shadow over the Earth during a solar eclipse slices right through the heart of Texas. Cities and counties from Paris (Paris, Texas, of course!) and Texarkana in the far northeast portion of the state to Eagle Pass on the southern border will be in the path of the solar eclipse. While Houston will have a partial eclipse today, millions across the state will experience this rare celestial event of a total eclipse of the sun.
With all this talk about total eclipses, there are a few old rock songs that seem to pop up in my mind that I’ve been humming lately. But this idea of the “Path of Totality” also takes my mind to a visit I had last month, in the waning days of Lent, when the Receptionist at St. Martin’s called me downstairs. I was on call that day and someone stopped in asking to speak to one of the pastors. As I escorted a young man into a nearby conference room, he began to explain that he had been praying a lot lately, wondering if it was time to deepen his walk with Christ. He told me he had been a Christian when he was younger but had fallen away and that, in the last couple of weeks, strange occurrences had taken place in his life. He went into little detail but wondered out loud if this was God giving him a sign, a sign that his prayers were being heard and that God would take him back.
I asked him, “What do you think?” The young man thought for a moment and finally admitted that he thought these signs were from God. I then encouraged him that it was time, time to go “all in” and time to get on God’s path wholly and completely. I then prayed with this young man and encouraged him to go back to his church and renew his commitment to the Lord.
Are you “all in?” Are you on Jesus’ “Path of Totality?” Or are you just experiencing a “partial eclipse,” having wandered off the path a bit and need to recommit yourself during this Easter season of new life and new beginnings? New life is offered to all … over and over and over again … throughout our lives, thanks be to God! For we are called to continue to search for God with all our hearts, as we read about in Jeremiah. And when we do, when we continue to surrender our lives totally to God, God will be found.
