It was so bright in the bedroom, I thought it must be morning. The clock read 4:27. Okay, morning, but way too early—it’s supposed to still be dark outside.

I turned over, and the moonlight was so bright, I had to close my eyes. A white circle, a residual moon-echo, still hung on the inside of my eyelids. I wanted to go right back to sleep, but the man in the moon called to me, “Look at me; think about me.”

I recognized the mind-voice. It wasn’t the man in the moon after all; it was God who woke me up. The moon was simply His object lesson this morning. Although sleep was no longer an option, I didn’t feel annoyed, but blessed.

Who reflects God so strongly against the darkness of this world?

• Paul and Silas, beaten and broken, locked in stocks in a dark, dank dungeon;
  They sang about God’s goodness in unmuffled songs of praise.
• The world was confused about his identity, so Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you think I am?”
  Peter answered, “You are the Messiah!”
• In Joppa, Dorcas used all that she had to feed and clothe the poor, especially penniless widows. She died, and those she had helped cried out against the darkness that loomed without her. Peter came her deathbed, and God answered all their prayers by returning her to light.
  Dorcas continued her rescue mission, s beacon of light in the dark world of those with nothing.
• Ruth and her mother-in-law lost their husbands and everything they owned. Naomi only wanted to go home to die, because she no longer felt the warmth of God’s light. She urged Ruth to stay in her homeland.
  Ruth said, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”

Then I began to wonder and remember those who had reflected God into my life.
Had I expressed thanks, both to God and to the those who reflected Him?

Who curses the moon and the light it brings?
Those who hide in the darkness, who don’t want their nefarious deeds exposed by its light. (At night, in the dark, you love cool words like “nefarious.”)

After 40 minutes, the moon had made its journey beyond the scope of my window, but I was surprised to see its diffused reflection linger. The sky was still brighter from its presence as I fell back into sleep.