The Moon at 3 a.m.

Worship the Lord in the beauty of his holiness:
Come let us adore him

What else do you do at 3 am when faced with the wide-awake eyes of a newborn?
Besides cry?
Or wake up your husband?
Or scroll endlessly on Facebook?

Perhaps you walk outside and feel the immensity of the dark sky.
Perhaps you look up and see the moon shining upon you and your precious baby.
Perhaps you pause and breathe for one, deep moment and give thanks for this life, this crying, this sleeplessness, this moment in time.

The moon will do that to you.
Stop you in your tracks.
Awaken your senses.
Remind you of the vastness of God’s creation.
Call you to do nothing but be at rest.

The moon will do that to you.
Invite you to see your place in this world.
Compel you to remember your neighbors who live under the same moon.
Offer light and hope to you in the darkness.
Call you to do nothing but be at rest.

I prefer to be asleep when the moon shines so brightly at 3 am, but without these late nights and early mornings with our son, I’d forget the beauty of the night.

I’d forget that in the darkness we are reminded of the light that shines for us.
I’d forget that in the darkness we are allowed to be still.
I’d forget that in the darkness we can listen to ourselves breathe.
I’d forget that in the darkness we have nothing else to do but to be present.

God invites us to be still and to know.
God invites us into the beauty of creation.
God invites us to always look to the light.

And under the light of the moon and a dark night, God speaks to me through the eyes and cries of my newborn.

Worship the Lord in the beauty of his holiness:
Come let us adore him