What if the moon was all we knew? What if all we got was just a big thing in the sky reflecting an even bigger and brighter thing? If we didn’t know the sun existed and just saw the light of the moon, we’d probably just accept it and be okay with it. I love the moon actually. I love looking up into a dark night sky scattered with stars (just a few though because I live in the city) and then seeing a full moon light the sky and the earth below. It’s light. It’s comforting. It brings a warmth with it.

But because we do know that the sun exists and what it looks like, feels like, how it brightens up the sky and earth in a way that the moon pales in comparison to, the moon can only be second best. It’s only a reflection of the sun. Without the sun it has no light to give to us. The moon provides light to us when we don’t see the sun. It reminds us of the sun that is always there even when we forget.

Sometimes, when I am so enthralled by the moon, I actually forget that it gets its light from the sun. I forget that it can’t be its own source of light. I love the moon because of the sun. Because I love the sun. Even when I forget that that is the reason why I love the moon. Heaven forbid that I ever decide to trade the sun in just to have the moon. That sounds crazy to even say at all–of course I would never want the moon over sun. Without the sun, I can’t have the moon. While the moon is great, its just a reflection of something better. The sun brings even more light. It brings more warmth. It’s even more comforting. How could I ever choose the moon over the sun?

Well that is what I do to God isn’t it? I’d go even a step further and say we all do that to some extent. One extreme is that some people don’t even know God (the sun) exists. They enjoy his creation created in his image (the moon), but they never realize that the creation is just a reflection of something better–the creator.

But then I go to the other extreme to people like me. We’ve seen and felt and tasted the goodness of the sun and all its glory, and yet still too often prefer the moon. I’m not sure which is worse.

I’ve been convicted lately of just how often I choose people and community over God. Creation over creator. Moon over Sun. None of those things are bad in and of themselves. In fact humans were created in the image of God. And even when we tarnished that image and became filled with sin, Christ died for us to make us new creations so that once again we could be made in his image and reflect his glory on earth.

It makes sense that I would be attracted to people who reflect the image of God. It makes sense that I am drawn to a beautiful sunset that reflects the beauty of God. It makes sense that I love looking out into the ocean as it reflects the vastness of God.

But those are just moons. They are all just second best reflecting something that is so much greater. The danger in admiring those things is when we stop at those things. When we begin to praise those things for their beauty and what they offer us instead of looking past them to what they are really pointing us to. We settle for incomplete joy when full joy is offered to us.

I settle for second best way too much. God has provided great people in my life who speak truth into me, who serve me, who know how to put a smile on my face and do, who love me so well even when they know the worst things about me, and who forgive me when I hurt them. Even as I write this, I am thinking of how wonderful my friends are to me. But I must remind myself that they can only be those things by the grace of God. We can only love because Jesus loved us first. We can only forgive because we have been forgiven first. We can only speak truth because we know Truth. We can serve others because Jesus served us first.

But even then we fall short. My friends fall short. They fail me and I fail them. And if all I know are my friends, then I am going to be let down a lot and I will let them down too. But praise God it doesn’t stop there. The people in my life are meant to point me to better, the best actually. They point me to the one who can love me even better. Who has forgiven me perfectly, and who knows how to bring me joy better than anyone else. The people in my life are just the moon reflecting the sun. I hate how often I settle for the moon though. I hate how often I forget that my friends are not a source of light, but just a reflection. And I hate how often I let me pride make me believe that I am my own source of light for others and deprive them of tasting greater joy.

I’ve tasted and seen that the Lord is good, and in His presence is the fullness of joy. There is nothing like it. I can’t be content with just the moon if I know the sun and what it offers.

Just as the moon is nothing without the sun, we are nothing without the Son. I pray to be a reflection of the Son to people who haven’t met Him yet or to friends who have but forget His goodness, but let me never think I can be more than just a reflection. Thank God the moon is not all we know. Thank God there is more. Thank God for the sun.