The Moon

The moon

“We must strive to be like the moon.” In the book A long way gone by Ishmael Beah his grandmother continues on to explain what this statement means in respect to people always needing to be on their best behavior and to be good to others. “She said that people complain when there is too much sun and it gets unbearably hot, and also when it rains too much or when its cold. But, she said, no one grumbles when the moon shines. Everyone becomes happy and appreciates the moon in their own special way. Children watch their shadows and play in its light, people gather at the square to tell stories and dance through the night. A lot of happy things happen when the moon shines. These are some of the reasons why we should want to be like the moon.”

This is one of my most favorite passages that I have ever read. The analogy is beautiful! So often do we find ourselves complaining just as the grandmother proclaims. Not talking about weather, we can look at each of our lives and apply it to when we lose our tempers with people around us. Think about a day at work or in your apartment with your roommates or perhaps simply spending time with friends. We all eventually have our bad days or moments where we seem to be more irritable than normal. So we complain, “there’s nothing to do” or “how long are we going to be here, I want to leave.” Perhaps its just that we get short with our own neighbors feeling upset with an action they did and as you spend your time cleaning their left over dishes from the previous night we tend to think about a simpler life with roommates more like ourselves.

            It’s hard to imagine us as the antagonist of others’ thoughts. We never put ourselves in that position where our friends are getting short with us because of some small mistake we may have made. In reality we are all that person, some more than others but nonetheless we have all been that person and we will all be that person again. I think that if we follow the advice of this elderly woman from Kabati, life could be a little more enjoyable for everyone.

            Transform yourself, by loving our God with every cell in our body and then going forth and loving our neighbor the SAME we can achieve the status of the moon. People will dance in your presence and plaster smiles across their faces when you walk in the room. Children will climb on you begging to play as people sense something unique once He radiates from within you. Become forever changed and become something much greater. Proverbs 17:3 “Fire tests the purity of silver and gold but the Lord tests the heart.” Become like the moon and purify your heart. The simple act of loving can fortify relationships and lift us to a higher level we’ve never felt before. Jesus was often quoted in the bible for commanding his disciples to “go and do likewise,” whenever he finished telling them a story of a righteous act.

            So go out and do likewise, live not only for Him but also live as He would live. Love unconditionally, Forgive immediately, seek Wisdom over Wealth and most importantly have Faith in his guidance.