The Last Supper on the Moonናሙና

Everyone Is a Moon

Did you know you have only ever seen one side of the moon? Though it orbits around the earth, the same side faces us the whole time. It technically does rotate on its twenty-seven-day journey around our planet, but because it is tidally locked to earth, it manages to keep its rear away from us at all times. Scientists call this synchronous rotation. Like a servant before a king, the moon never turns its back on us.

What is called “the far side of the moon” or “the dark side of the moon” is always hidden. Humans laid eyes on it for the first time during Apollo 8. This side of the moon is pocked by craters far more extreme than those on the side we see in the sky every night. One reason for this is obvious: as long as it has hung in the sky, the side pointing away from earth gets the brunt of any asteroids coming our way, like a bodyguard taking a bullet for the one under their protection. The earth returns the favor, acting as a shield for much of the space debris coming from our direction that would slam into the moon.

The moon is one-fourth the size of the earth but is big for a moon. Its mysterious backside has mountain ranges taller than the Himalayas. There are craters. Lots of craters. There are craters within craters within craters. Some are only an inch, and some go down a mile. There are craters so big the Grand Canyon could fit inside. One known crater is eighty-five miles wide and almost thirty thousand feet deep.

I find it extremely symbolic that the moon keeps the most damaged (and interesting) side out of sight like so many of us.

Mark Twain once said, “Everyone is a moon and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.”

The irony, of course, is that even though the dark side is where damage has happened, it is also where the highest heights are located. Highlands rise higher above the surface there than on the near side. And craters plunge low. Craters, after all, are just mountains in reverse.

The pockmarks and wounds you carry around inside and show to no one are not only where the most damage has happened; they are where your greatest potential strengths lie. As they say, the cracks are what let the light in.

Jesus gave us a brand-new way of looking at the dark sides we are tempted to keep hidden.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn,

For they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,

For they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

For they shall be filled.” (Matt. 5:3–8 NKJV)

Extreme situations can lead to deeper happiness and more profound joy. What makes you weird is also what makes you wonderful. Your quirks and curiosities are packed full of potential. Your pain can make you powerful. Extreme gratitude will be the result of learning to embrace—and trusting God to unleash—the hidden potential of the dark side of your moon.

Aren’t you exhausted from sucking in and spinning around in every different situation and social media post to keep the dark side of your moon safely hidden and out of sight? I’m not talking about putting your best foot forward; I’m talking about that hidden, horrible secret you have carried for so long: that (you’re pretty sure) there is something wrong with you. If people saw the real you, you think, they wouldn’t want anything to do with you. So rather than being rejected, you just pretend.

But you don’t have to do that. Your character’s craters, chasms, and canyons give texture and color and complexity that sparkle in your heavenly Father’s eyes.

As you look full in His wonderful face, I believe you will stop feeling the need to keep the comet-strewn darkness of your shadow side hidden from sight. You’ll step into the light. Then, and only then, will you discover that God is not afraid of what is behind you. He plans to address what is sinful, mend what is broken, and fill what is empty. He has a plan to use all of you—not just the curated parts you currently feel comfortable letting the world see. He is all around you and already knows about the dark side of your moon.

Respond

List three damaged parts you hide from others.

Describe how God has used those damaged parts for good.

Prayer

God, thank you for loving me even with all my damaged parts. Thank you for giving me a future and a purpose.