Be the Moon

One thing I love about Nashville is the abundance of opportunities to enjoy good music. The annual Country Music Association’s music festival was held this last weekend and Chelsea and I were able to attend a few of the concerts on Sunday. One of my favorites was getting to see Chris Tomlin. He shared powerful songs and stories that really created a worshipful atmosphere. One of the stories he shared was about a question he got from someone after a concert one time: “You talk about wanting to glorify God with your music, but when you’re up front, the spotlights are on you. You’re the one getting the praise and the glory. How can you say that you’re trying to glorify God?” Chris shared that he felt like God gave him the perfect answer: “My prayer is that God makes me the moon. The moon has no light on its own, it simply reflects the light of the sun. Yet it can light up the darkest night.” From that conversation a song was born, with lyrics that partially read: “I wanna be the moon, / up among the stars / Fly around the world / Lighting up the dark at night / I’m nothing without the Son’s amazing grace / On everything I do / If You’re shining on me, I’m shining right back for You / I wanna be the moon.”

What a powerful thought! I think Jesus was trying to say something similar when He told a group of people sitting on a hillside: “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:14-16). We have no good deeds of our own. But as we let God work through us, we can be the moon, reflecting the light of God in such a way that everyone will praise our Heavenly Father. Won’t you be the moon today?