Wonder Under the Moon

Darkness hugged the car as we buckled into our seats and rolled homeward. Like monarchs at midnight, the conversations of the evening floated through my mind. Joy sat in the back, telling us all sorts of things. From what we could understand and what we could guess, she was likely rehearsing her evening as well. In plain English: “Ate popcorn and cheese. Tried to share a chair with my friend and she pushed me off onto the floor. And off the bed. But she said sorry, and she actually was very nice. Colored with markers. Said bye bye.” 

Not unlike my daughter, my own adult mind buzzed through thoughts of our evening at a rapid speed. “What did they think of us? Are we on track? We said such and such. They said this and that. Do we have what it takes? What if we don’t? What if we do?”

We were already home. Jonathan and I finished a sentence we were working on formulating between the two of us as we exited the car. Together, we opened the back door and unstrapped tired little Joy and swung her out of the car. And then...

“Moon, moon!” Joy’s excitement was contagious. Her sweet little neck tipped upwards eagerly towards the night sky, she pointed her forefinger enthusiastically at the shiny shape in the heavens, drawing our attention Up.

The heavens were a beautiful dark black, with sparkles of stars sprinkled artistically across. Orion the mighty hunter poised directly above us, ready to defend whichever constellation should happen to be most in need. And over to the left, shone the crescent slice of silver moon. 

I paused, feeling indebted to the attentive wonder of my little girl. Hands in my coat pockets, head tipped back, I gazed into the skies, until my heart entered into wonder, too. My whirring brain calmed and took a different lane to travel on. 

“Abraham, the man of faith in a God it seems he barely knew, saw those stars,” I thought. “And David, he sat out at night and saw those stars, too, thinking about God thinking about him. Jesus Himself, my Beloved, prayed lonely nights under those stars, talking with our Father. Apostle Paul hid in a basket, fleeing for his life, under these stars. Come to think of it, men and women have actually given their lives to Christ as well as lost their lives for Christ under these stars. Their luminescence has beheld the unutterable wickedness as well as the noble and heroic deeds of the human race. Somehow under these stars I get reminded that I am not alone, and the things I face are not peculiar and specific to only me.”

Orion winked, as if he knew that all along. Joy hollered in delight, “Moon, moon!” I joined my little family in walking towards the little apartment where we are living. 

Somehow, those faithful stars reminded me that the grand scheme of life is a whole lot bigger than this little nomadic mommy and her troubles. Somehow, standing under their twinkles gave me fresh courage to hold onto faith rather than people’s opinions; to gladly yield myself afresh to Jesus. 

Like the millions of faithful ones who have finished their race ahead of me, I can know my God and fully trust Him to never leave me or forsake me. ‘Til moon and stars shall shine no more!