Ever since I was young I have been obsessed with the night sky.

Daydreaming about the stars was a regular thing in my world. I was completely fixated on works of art like Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh. Growing up in suburbia added to my fascination because seeing more than a few stars in the sky was a rarity. One night years ago, back in high school, I was driving down the road and saw the moon beaming brightly and was instantly struck with the thought of how the moon looked completely different from the night before. 

At that moment God broke in with a little conversation as I drove down 377 in Keller, Texas.

God: “Lauren, you are aware that the moon has zero internal light source?”
Me: “Uh, yeah God…my dad is a science teacher after all.” (Insert a solid eye roll here. Remember I was in high school when this went down)
God: “Okay, do you understand how it works?”
Me: “Uhhh..”

I began to ponder more on the moon and the dynamics that cause it to beam brightly one night and be dull the next. For those of you who haven’t put much thought into this or slept through this portion of Physical Science or IPC (Integrated Physics and Chemistry):

Our solar system revolves around the stationary light form, the flaming ball of gas we call the sun.

This means that the level of brightness we experience is not dependent on the sun but the positioning of the earth, the moon and the clouds in the atmosphere. The sun doesn’t change, it is our constant.

Here God broke in once more:

“The moon was created to reflect the sun, just as YOU were created to reflect my Son.”

I remember being dumbfounded at that moment, the concept seemed so simple but at the same time, it completely rocked my world. To this day when I see the moon shining brightly, I think of the role I play on this earth.

How does this play out for us? 

Just as the position of the moon and the earth dictate how brightly the moon is seen; our position and others in our lives impact our level of brightness in reflecting the Son. There are natural seasons of darkness and there are also atmospheric interferences. In the same way, there are seasons where we are hidden in Christ and at times people may try to hinder us from shining but there will come a day when no one will be able to deny Christ’s light in us as long as we are intentional position ourselves in Christ. 

My challenge to YOU is:

On days where you feel like you are shining dimmer than you desire, be intentional to change positions. Actively find ways to reflect the Son in a greater capacity. Smile at someone you pass by. Lend a hand to the person at the store. Speak out a word of encouragement. Every time we choose to imitate Christ we shine slightly brighter.