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Grace is Messy

"I see the moon and the moon sees me…"

Last updated on: February 27, 2014 at 4:00 pm   by Steve Austin

"I see the moon and the moon sees me…" 2014-02-27T16:00:16-05:00 Steve Austin

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Yesterday, I wrote about my little boy wanting to catch airplanes and hold the moon.  A blog buddy of mine, Michael, commented with this:

I used to love to lay back into the back window of the car and watch things in view pass by or the road rush away…the lines part and rejoin. I also loved watching the moon chase us no matter how fast we moved. Those were the days!

Those who know me well, will understand that portions of this comment sent my mind spinning with all sorts of comparisons with God and possibilities for a new post!

“…watching the moon chase us no matter how fast we moved.”

Can you see it?  Do you remember being a little one and being fascinated with the moon and stars?  Or maybe you’re like my friend Gigi who is still fascinated by it all.  It makes me smile just thinking about how much she loves all that stuff.  I think God really speaks to her through the sky.  He certainly speaks to me through sunsets, but I’ve never really thought about God and the moon.

“…chase us…”

Romans 5:6-7 says, “Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.”

“…no matter how fast we moved.”

Luke: 15:3-7: By this time a lot of men and women of doubtful reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently. The Pharisees and religion scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, “He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends.” Their grumbling triggered this story.

Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn’t you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it? When found, you can be sure you would put it across your shoulders, rejoicing, and when you got home call in your friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Celebrate with me! I’ve found my lost sheep!’ Count on it—there’s more joy in heaven over one sinner’s rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue.

The moon is always there and no matter how fast we are moving or what our location on the grid may be, we can always look up and see the moon in the sky.  It’s the same way with God.  He is ever-present in every circumstance, whether we “feel” Him or not.  There are times when it’s hard to “see” God in a particular situation, but the truth is that He never changes.  He is constant and always looking over the children He created: the children He loves.  Even if we are running away from Him at warp speed.

“But even when the moon looks like it’s waning…it’s actually never changing shape. Don’t ever forget that.”  —Ai Yazawa

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February 26, 2014

Catching Airplanes

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April 15, 2014 Splash in the Puddles


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