On Tuesday of this week, I had to report to jury duty in the city. In order to be on time, I left the house very early to get ahead of the traffic. As I drove through the neighborhood just before sunrise, I caught glimpses of the moon through the trees.
I looked for it eagerly, because I'd somehow missed the opportunity the night before to see the supermoon, the biggest and brightest full moon since 1948. (Click here to see amazing photos of the supermoon from around the world.).
When I got to the stoplight to leave my neighborhood the moon, huge and full, was in plain view. The intersection wasn’t busy yet, but it soon would be, like the day ahead of me.
My mind was hovering somewhere between the mad dash to get out the door and the mad dash on the interstate ahead of me. But the moon shone above, far removed from all these things. Its brightness pulled my focus off the asphalt with white lines, stoplights, concrete, crosswalk signs, my glowing dashboard.
Seeing the moon reminded me to stop and take a breath. To breathe.
Throughout the centuries, the moon has inspired romance, poetry, music and song, art, dance, and worship. Why? It’s beautiful, mysterious, ancient, and silent. Its gravitational pull influences the tides. Its presence in the night sky reminds us that there’s something bigger than us.
When I see the moon, I enjoy its beauty. My eyes are naturally drawn to it. But I know that the God who created it is so much bigger, more beautiful and more mysterious than the moon or anything else, yet also warm, loving, and compassionate toward us.
He shows himself through the beauty he has created and has freely given to all to enjoy, even those who don’t believe he exists.
So, on Tuesday, underneath that beautiful full moon, I thanked God for a quiet moment to breathe. Then the stoplight changed and I drove off into a busy, new day.