Summer Solstice Science Experiment: God’s Light/God’s Love

Summer solstice, June 21st, is called “the longest day of the year.” We say it is the day of the year when there is the most light, but is that really true?

This very easy experiment using a flashlight can show us something about what’s really going on with light on summer solstice, and how it relates to God’s love.

Materials:

• Flashlight

Steps:

• Put the mouth of a flashlight flush against a wall and turn it on.
• Pull the flashlight slowly back from the wall. Notice what happens to the size of the beam.
• Put your finger in the beam between the flashlight and the wall.
• Move the flashlight back farther. Notice what happens to the shadow shape made by your finger.

Answers:

When you move the flashlight further from the wall, the beam gets bigger. It also gets less bright. When you move the light back from the shadow of your finger, it should also get bigger.

Explanation:

To create a shadow, you need three things: A light, a solid object, and a surface. The shadow size will depend on the distance between the light, the object, and its source. If the object (finger) is brought closer to the light and away from the surface, its shadow grows smaller and crisper. If it is brought farther from the light and closer to the surface, it grows bigger, though the edges are less crisp.

Conclusion:

Summer solstice seems to be the day when there is more light than ever. However, the truth is that the light is always shining; it’s just that we move closer to it and farther from it. It’s the same with God’s love and light. It is always available to us, even when we feel like it’s not. If we want to live in the light, that means we have to move very close to God and not move away.

Don’t let the seasons fool you into thinking that there is ever more sun or less sun. The sun does not change—our position does. Don’t let feelings fool you into thinking that God loves you more sometimes than other times. God’s love is complete and constant—let’s stay close to Him this summer and always feel His love!