The Moon Is Not Small, It's Just Far Away

Mary said, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my soul rejoices in God my Savior.”
Luke 1:46-47

The word “glorify” is synonymous with “magnify,” which means to make bigger or greater like a magnifying glass. I was reminded of this a few weeks ago while I was driving my son Drew in the early evening one day. He saw the moon in the sky and he yelled out, “Appa! The moon!” He yelled it so loud it almost caused a car accident. But then he said, “Appa, the moon is small.” I responded by saying, “The moon is not small, it’s really big. It’s just really far away.” The moon might look small to us, but for Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, the moon must have seemed gigantic.

Does God seem small to you? Perhaps He’s just really far away and we just need to magnify Him.

Break In the Hike

Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31

I went on a hike this past Monday up at Eaton Canyon Trail. It was very nice because it’s the first time in many years where I was able to go on a hike by myself. If you’re ever looking for a nice relatively easy hike, Eaton Canyon is a nice one because it’s mostly shaded and it’s alongside a stream. So I parked my car at the top of the hill, walked down the mountain to the stream at the foothills where the trail started. The first part of the trail was gorgeous... I was surrounded by trees, the serenading sound of the stream, and the crispness of the morning air. It was hiking alongside a stream which was my favorite part of the hike. But after about half a mile, the stream just disappeared. I don’t know where it went; I couldn’t even hear it anymore. I kept walking on, hoping that it would magically reappear but it was nowhere to be found. I was disappointed because the stream was the best part of the hike. But the place I was standing was utterly quiet. So I waited.

There was a stillness and a calm that was present in that part of the hike that didn’t exist at the beginning or the end of the hike. So I adjusted my attitude a little bit, found a comfortable place to sit and enjoyed the quiet, the soft breeze, and the solitude. After a few minutes, I pressed on towards the hike and the stream reappeared. Eventually, I got to the end of the hike where there was a little waterfall and that’s where there were a lot more people were hanging out. It was loud, crowded, and cold. And I remember that little break in the hike when I was waiting... where I didn’t hear the noise of the creek, there was nobody around, and I felt the soft breeze on my cheek. It was really nice.

Advent Means Waiting

I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord, more than watchmen wait for the morning.
Psalm 130:5-6

Advent comes from the Latin word adventus, which means “arrival” or “coming.” Advent marks the period of waiting prior to Jesus’ birth. Most of us these days hate waiting and we see it as a waste of time. But in actuality, it’s only a waste of time if we treat it that way. Many of the most significant occurrences in the Bible happened while people were “waiting.” Abraham was waiting in the shade of his tent in the hot afternoon when he was visited by God and two angels. Moses was wondering around the mountain when he came across the Burning Bush. Daniel and his three friends were great witnesses in Babylon when they were waiting to go back to Jerusalem. Are you in a period of waiting? If so, how does God want to shape you, speak to you, or grow you during your time of waiting?

Losing Is Winning

"For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world yet forfeit their soul?"
Matthew 16:25-26a

Growing up as a Korean-American, my mom occasionally shared a common Korean expression with me, which was “losing is winning.” It’s this idea that when we “lose” or “fail” we can learn something valuable from that experience, grow in our character, or affirm something we need to know about ourselves or the situations we are in. As a kid and teenager, I never really understood the full meaning of it. But now as an adult, I see that our faith cannot grow without losing.

What Judgmental Parenting Taught Me About Gratitude

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.
Psalm 100:4

Parenting brings out the most judgmental side of me. When I observe other kids who are bratty, I can’t help but judge them and their parents. One thing I noticed with bratty kids is that it doesn’t matter how many toys they have; if you give bratty kids more toys, that doesn’t subdue their brattiness. If anything, it makes them worse. But there are other kids who are always grateful no matter how much or how little they have. This taught me something very valuable about gratitude: Gratitude is a decision and is not dependent on our circumstances.