Like the Moon

Photo found at: https://c1.staticflickr.com/7/6084/6142430996_37b335c4d0_b.jpg

1 May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine on us—
2 so that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations. Psalm 67:1-2

Last week we had a full harvest moon shining. It was beautiful! I love to gaze out my bedroom window after all the lights are out while the full moon is shining over the landscape. It is amazing how much light there is, especially when you consider that the moon is only reflecting the sun’s light. It is not producing that light on its own. It is only catching the sun’s light and beaming it back at us.

But the moon is not always that bright. At some points in the lunar cycle, the moon is not reflecting light to us at all. Sometimes it’s just a tiny sliver. Other times it is completely, fully aglow with the sun’s light. It all depends on where the moon is along its path around the earth. We can be a reflection of God’s glory to those around us, like the moon reflecting the sun’s light. But in order to do so, we must be in the proper position. We have to be in God’s presence to catch His light, but we do not have to produce the light ourselves.

Moses experienced this in an amazing way. In Exodus 34, Moses spends 40 days on Mt. Sinai receiving God’s Ten Commandments. In verse 29, we read “Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him.” His face was literally shining because he had been in God’s presence -- so much so that the Israelites were afraid to approach him. But then the Israelites came to accept this as a visible sign that Moses had been in God’s presence and had received His word. And in 2 Corinthians 3:13, Paul tells us that Moses used a veil to prevent the Israelites from seeing this glow fade away.

As I reflect on that, I wonder: Do those around me see God’s light shining from me? Does my life reflect His glory? How long does that radiance last before it starts to fade?

I know that some days I do not shine because I do not spend enough time in God’s presence. I want to be alight with God’s love every day, but I don’t always receive that light like I could. And even when I do, it is easy for me to be sidetracked by life and allow that glow to fade away.

I slept too late, so I hurried through my time with God so that I wouldn’t be late to work. I allowed a student or a coworker to dim my light with a few words that made me angry. I hurried past a hurting friend so that I could get something else finished and missed the chance to encourage her. I reacted with harsh words when someone was critical of me. I could go on and on.

So how can I be a better reflection of God’s light? I can play worship music as I get ready in the morning and allow its truth to sink into my heart. I can place scriptures around me to remind me of God’s truth during the day. I can give myself time to meditate on my daily scripture reading and work to memorize those verses. I can sit quietly and listen during my prayer time so that I can hear God’s voice. I can consciously look for ways to minister to those around me through acts of service, encouraging words that build others up, or even a smile and a hug.

It doesn’t take much to make a big difference in someone’s day. I think the key to reflecting God’s light is to allow His Spirit to control, guide, and flow through us. If we are turned towards Him, we can shine with His light.

Lord, help us to be better reflections of You. Help us to be steadfast in our efforts to spend time in Your presence. Teach us to avoid the enemy’s distractions so that we can stay turned towards You. We want to shine Your light in our dark world and spread the love, joy, and peace that You have so graciously given us!