Saturday, April 3, 2010

The Moon Is Round!

I was skimming through Jim Elliot's journals last night, and found, under the entry for Dec 26 these cryptic words: "The Moon Is Round!"
An explanatory note in the margins, written by Jim's wife, Elisabeth, explained:

"This refers to an experience which Jim told me about years later. He had been depressed, doubting the sovereignty of God. The moon seemed to show him that there is wholeness, that all things are complete in Christ, even when they appear to be partially shadowed."

How often things 'appear to be partially shadowed'!

And yet, even when I look at the dark sky, and see only a dim white sliver of the light and beauty I hoped for; even when I look at my life, and see only a miserable thread of the glory or satisfaction that 'ought to be' present (or nothing at all!) it should not be a cause for despair.
The wholeness, the fullness, the glory of the moon are not lost or extinguished. Only 'partially shadowed'. And shadows cannot alter the reality of the things that are.
When we gaze grief-stricken on a world where 'nothing makes sense', where 'everything goes wrong', where 'everything under the sun is meaningless', we must keep in mind that we are looking at vast shadows, and seeing only wee snatches of realities. "The Moon Is Round!" Darkness may seem to halve it, or obliterate it entirely, but it is still there, unchanged, as round and massive as ever.

My favorite song at Chinese fellowship (partly because it is one of the only ones accompanied by an English translation) is 'The Sun Above The Clouds.' The gist of the song is: 'I walk about sometimes and see the sun shining brightly, and at others cannot see it at all. But this does not mean that there is no sun, only that clouds are getting in the way. I will still be joyful because I know the sun is there, whether I can see it or not.' And then, the chorus basically says: 'No matter what the clouds do, the sun does not change. Ah! It stays the same!'

The sun, the moon, the Son, His power and love- they stay the same. No matter if our view is sometimes limited.

So, if you're feeling overwhelmed by shadows, or lost in clouds, remember: The sun above the clouds is still shining, untouched by the lower things. And, 'The Moon Is Round!'

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