The Moon is Still Shining

When I was a little girl, I loved going to take out the trash with my dad. That probably sounds a little strange, but "taking out the trash" was rarely just taking out the trash. We would walk down the long driveway and stand there together, looking up at the stars. Sometimes- my favorite times- Dad would take my hand and we would go on a walk through our small neighborhood.

I had to take big steps to match Dad's. He told me stories about a foolish little piglet who lost her tail to the hungry wolf. He pointed out the planets and constellations glittering above us, diamond stars in a velvet sky.

Nearly every time, he would look up at the moon and say, "Do you know what the moon reminds us of?" And I always knew, but I liked to hear him tell me. "The moon reminds us of God's faithfulness, because it's always there, even when we can't see it." And I would look up at the moon and feel completely safe. Standing next to my dad, maybe holding his hand, listening to him tell me that God was always faithful- I felt safe.

It's been several years now since those nighttime walks, and I didn't know much about trusting God back then. I don't know much about it now. But every time- every time- my faith is shaking, my mind is questioning, my heart is doubting, my strength is failing, I look at the moon.

Earlier this year, I had to say goodbye to my sister when she left for college. Just a day later, at youth camp, I laid on a bridge and looked up at a sky filled with more stars than I have ever seen in my life. I was very sad and a little bitter and a little confused, but then I looked up. And there was the moon. That old sense of peace- the knowledge that I was safe in the arms of my Father- washed over me.  The moon is still shining; God is still faithful.

A little while after that, I heard that a dear friend had walked away from Christianity. I was sitting in  the car in the church parking lot in the dark, and I looked for the moon. There it was- just as bright as ever. And even in that moment of fear and confusion and pain, I knew: the moon is still shining; God is still faithful.

Just recently I was scrolling through Facebook and suddenly I was reading that my friend was diagnosed with cancer. Have you seen the news lately? Horrible things are happening all around us. Babies are being murdered every day. Corruption is rampant. Confusion and fear and pain and sadness are inescapable. We live in a broken, ugly world full of violence and cruelty.

But guess what? If you go outside tonight, and look up, you might just see the moon. Even if you don't see it, it's still there. And do you know what the moon reminds us of? The moon reminds us that God is faithful. No matter what pain is breaking your heart, no matter what fear is crippling your soul, no matter what doubt is filling your mind, God is still faithful. When you know that your Father is holding your hand in His, you can have peace. You can feel safe, because you are safe.

Are you afraid? Are you in pain? Look up at the night sky. The moon is still shining; God is still faithful.

P.S. I happened to think that it is amazingly cool that you can see the very same moon from anywhere in the world. I've looked up at the moon to remember God's faithfulness from several different states, from Tunisia, from Italy, from Israel, and from the Dominican Republic. Isn't that just an incredible thought?!