Over this past year, I grew an interest in the moon. Throughout quarantine, I have been compelled to think deeply about the moon and its correlation and significance in our faith journey and life. I have received so many revelations and new ways of perceiving the moon that I felt led to make this blog a two part series. I am super excited to share what has been brewing within me.
Before I share what I have learned, I want to disclose that I know and understand that the moon can be tied to new age practices and beliefs, along with the fact the moon was wrongly worshipped by those not of God, referenced in the old testament (Deuteronomy, 2 Kings, etc). However, I wanted to come on here to bring a new perspective towards the moon and redefine it to what I believe by the grace of God, the Lord has impressed upon me.
During my quiet time with God of praying, reading, and worshipping, I felt God place the moon on my heart. As I was thinking and praying about what was going on in the world during the peak time of riots, civil unrest, division, and hate, I felt the Lord tell me to just dive and dig deep into the moon’s natural importance and once I did I received so much revelation.
First, for context, the moon is a source of light. It brings light when the sun sets and it illuminates throughout the night. It is the main source of light when the sky turns dark. The moon generates a force that influences the tides of the ocean. This force is known as tidal force and it causes Earth and its water to bulge out on the side closest to the moon and the side farthest from the moon. These bulges of water are called high tides.
With that background and foundation in mind, I want to back track and touch on societal thinking as well as my personal experiences. Throughout high school, I went through a phase where I wanted to be as radiant as the sun. I wanted to be the light the sun emits. The sun is usually a symbol in culture as a beam of happiness and joy. During that time of my life, everything around me was good. I would say that life was content and unproblematic, so it was really easy for me to spread love and happiness. In society, it is often preached for people to be a “ray of light” similar to the sun. With that concept, I would like to propose a question “Why not be the moon and be the light when/where there is darkness?”
I believe there was a divine intention with my sudden interest in the moon. As the days go on, everything seems hopeless and dark. It seems as if the light of hope and love is slowly dimming. The world around us is going to continue getting darker. Matthew 24 gives us an outline of what’s to come and what is going on in the world. More specifically in verse 12, Jesus says “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.” Like I mentioned earlier, as it gets darker and wicked, the love of many people will simmer down.
With what I have written and shared so far, I realized ‘it is so easy to be the light when there is light, but it is so hard to be the light when all there is around you is darkness.’ The sun beams and it is hard to distinguish the sun because it is a source of light during the time of day where it is bright. However, when night comes around, it is so easy to point out where the moon is because it is the main source of light.
I am writing this blog not to worship the moon, but to encourage and maybe shift your thinking to being more like the moon. During quarantine, so much division, lawlessness, and hate was seen throughout the country. Christians turning on each other, accusing brethren, political parties creating a further divide amongst each other, and people seeking the lusts of world, rather than pursuing Jesus. Friends who are reading, as the world gets darker, are you willing to stand up and be the source of light in the darkness?
Are you willing to share the true light, Jesus Christ, and let His light shine through you?
It is so easy to be happy, joyful, and kind when everything around us is going good, but what about when it is not? How are you going to be the light in the darkness?
One of the moon’s significant purposes is to control the tides. As a result of the moon’s gravitational pull, it generates a force that influences the tides of the ocean. When you are trying to be the moon, not only are you a light in the times of darkness, but you are a force that influences. Not to mention, the ocean takes up 70% of the earth, so you are a force that influences more than half of the world.
When we are shifting our perspective to be more like the moon, we are telling ourselves to rise up, be bold, and be that light in the time of darkness. We are telling ourselves that we are going to be that generated force that is influencing our friends, family, and anyone we encounter.
I want to leave you all who are reading with some scriptures. In 2 Corinthians 4:6, “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” make his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” In 2 Peter 2:9, it says “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
The world is a dark place, and this is where God wants to make His people, those who believe in Him, distinct. God did not call us into darkness, but rather to be the light. Let’s be more like the moon, but most importantly, let’s strive to be more like Jesus.
My Alabaster Box by Keilani Mayo
Written in 2021-2022