In The Light of the Moon

The world is grey and quiet for just one moment. My bare feet are cold as I tiptoe across the icy floor.  My robe is pulled tight.  My coffee is the only warm thing, and it is the comfort I need.  I sneak outside, breathing in the darkness.  It is a hushed, soft sort of hug, this early morning space before the sun.

The moon stares down at me, bright in her beauty.  She is quiet and gentle, a contrast to her constant counterpart.  She is a reminder of the mystery.  The sun a bursting awakening, calling us to life.  But the moon.  She hangs heavy, quietly whispering “I’m still here.  The darkness may be the pressing matter, but look closely.  Squint just so.  When the clouds pass me by I will still light your way.”  

Sometimes life is lived in the light of the moon.  Sometimes seasons with no sun are relentless.  Sometimes clouds roll in one after the other, bringing rain and wind that destroy precious things.  No reprieve before the next wave.  Sometimes you long for the bright ray of sun on your story, and yet God doesn’t allow the sun to rise.

Not yet. 

But. 

The sun?  Just as the moon in her quiet way steadies the night, the sun in her fullness, has never not risen.  Not once.

And in the moments where we long for the rays of the sun and desperately- fervently- long for the hand of God to intervene, we can be reminded of the beautiful side of darkness.  The night carries its own light hidden in the smile of the moon.  God is so gracious in giving us a never ending reminder that there is never complete darkness in this world. Never.  Cloud coverage may be heavy, but steadily pull the clouds apart one by one, and behind them? Rest assured, the light is still very present.  It was always back there.  

And clouds?  They always pass along their way. 

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“Where can I escape from Your spirit?  Where can I flee from Your presence?  If I go up to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there.  If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me; Your right hand will hold on to me.  If I say “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light around me will become night”- even the darkness will not be dark to You.  The night will shine like the day; darkness and light are alike to you.”

Psalm 139: 7-12