Light In The Dark

"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." John 12:46

On a recent trip with the grandchildren, sweetheart set up the telescope I bought him for Christmas last year. It seemed that the moon was going to be closer to the earth than usual on this particular night. Knowing that the lights of the big city where we live would distort our ability to see the moon clearly, we had chosen a campground that gave us maximum darkness. As darkness fell, we took turns walking outside to to see if the moon had made an appearance.

I think, for the grandkids, it was a bit anticlimactic. With all the hype about a "super moon" they had heard on tv and the internet, I think they expected it to take up the entire sky. After a few glances through the telescope at what looked to them like a big white dot, they pronounced the entire thing rather boring. Soon they were back inside the beast watching Veggie Tales and annoying each other. 

For sweetheart and I it was an opportunity to see the surface of the moon in fantastic clarity (or as much clarity as you can get for 200 dollars on Amazon). We had a book that showed us exactly  what each shadow and curve meant. We were able to pick out the Sea Of Tranquility where the astronauts first touched down. I suppose it was more meaningful to us because we both remembered the first grainy shots of the Apollo moon landing. How miraculous it seemed to be able to fly to the moon.

After we had put everything away, we sat for a while just enjoying the beautiful panorama of stars and planets and of course that magnificent moon. What majesty God created just for us. It was as if a million tiny candles burned brightly from horizon to horizon. The moon itself was huge, gloriously bathing everything in a soft glow of light. 

It struck me that no matter how dark it seems, there is always light. The stars may be hidden by the clouds. The moon may be below the horizon. The sun may have set. But the light is still there. Sometimes it may be a tiny light, like a star, far off in the distance. Other times it may be a huge full moon, lighting up the world like the noonday sun. It may even be a flashlight you brought along to light your path. God, in His infinite wisdom, has always used light to show us the way. He even gave us the perfect Light, His son Jesus Christ,  to lead us out of the darkness.

Dearest Adonai, thank You for times with my grandchildren. Thank You for allowing us to have the opportunity to see Your beautiful creations, both on the earth and above them. Let us always remember to enjoy all that You have given us, even if we have to venture out into the dark to see it. We pray for understanding of Your desires for us. Let us have the light of Christ shining from us in all that we do. I pray these things in Christ's Holy Name, Amen

©Michelle Welch, team member of Breath of Life Women's Ministries
photography by Michelle Welch, all rights reserved
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