The Son and the Moon

You can’t stare at the sun without damaging your eyes, but you can stare at the moon for hours. And when you do, the moon is actually allowing you to enjoy the sun’s light that’s not safe to look at directly. In fact, all the moon’s light is borrowed. (The Last Supper on the Moon, Lusko, page 133)

September 17

Tuesday night, September 17 marked the second of four consecutive supermoons this year. Definitions of a supermoon vary, but the term generally denotes “a full moon that is closer to the earth than normal and thus appears larger and brighter in the night sky.” This one was dubbed a harvest moon.

September 19

Thursday morning, September 19, I headed to work before the sun came up. As I backed out of the driveway in predawn darkness and then turned to drive out of the neighborhood, there was the moon still looking stunning. I put the car in park in the cul-de-sac and stared for a while. I don’t recall ever seeing the moon so bright white! I prayed as I stared: Lord, thank you that all I have to do is reflect you today. May I reflect you this brightly. May You look this beautiful through me today.

And then I went to work.

I had moments that day of feeling like a reflection of Jesus, and I had moments of feeling very, very human. More so than usual. I tried some new material in class that didn’t go well. I won’t be using the material again. Then, at dinner that night, my daughter asked, “Mom, do you know that you are wearing two different earrings?” Before brushing my teeth, I put in two different earrings to decide which ones I preferred. I forgot to make a decision. Out the door I went.

The earrings were nothing alike.

My day was particularly jam-packed with two very important morning meetings in my office — up close and personal — and then teaching three classes in the afternoon. I did it all with two very different earrings on and not one of the 90-plus people I interacted with said a word about my mismatch.

Not one person said anything.

God has declared war on darkness not by his church shouting at the darkness but by us shining our light into the night. When you are a sliver of a moon instead of the supermoon you are meant to be, you limit the hope he can give through you. Not because the sun isn’t bright but because there is less of you that you are willing to allow him to use. (page 144)

Did I reflect Jesus on Thursday? Truth is, I did, because I walked closely with Him all day. I was listening and making decisions of obedience. Things like human error and imperfect outcomes do not define our brightness. I trust I was as stunning as the supermoon I gazed at on Thursday, whether it felt like it or not. As long as we are willing to allow Him to use us, people can stare at us for hours and enjoy the Son’s light.

Let people stare.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

We don’t have to conjure up any brightness in order to shine Jesus. The work God does in our hearts naturally shines through to those around us. Like a mirror, we are a reflection of His handiwork.

Our reflections of the Son are stunning.

Picture Explanation: The second picture is taken with my cell phone as I prayed and marveled at the moon-diamond in the sky this week. The rest of the photos feature the amazing photography of my friend, Dan Thompson, who has captured the moon in her reflective glory from locations near and far.        

Speaking of living a short life with reflecting Jesus in mind: The inaugural co-ed online One Gritty Blink Bible study this fall is in process! If you want to join the next one, click on the Oaks Ministries link in the copyright line and send me an email so I can place you on a list to be contacted to participate in a future study! Let’s not just focus on things in this short life, but also what counts for eternity.

Note: No part of my posts are derived from A.I. Thoughts and writing stem from my mind and heart as I process life week-by-week and continue to grow in my understanding of God and how to apply His wisdom to the world around me.

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