I have been so super blessed to have gotten to come to Hawaii so many times. Trust me – I know how blessed I am. Blessed with tickets. Blessed by aunties and uncles who’ve opened their homes and hearts to let us come invade their space over and over. And I’m thankful.
Most of the times we’ve been here, we’ve stayed right on the North Shore with the sound of the pounding surf constantly in our ears. With whales and dolphins and sunsets right off the lanai. It’s awesome. I don’t know how anyone can look at that and still think there is no God. No creator.
The last couple of times, though, we’ve stayed with Auntie and Uncle on the mountain, which is just as charming. Just as spectacular. Pupukea is a stunning piece of paradise. It’s so quiet and peaceful, which is just what my heart and soul and mind needed right now.
And things just look different on the mountain. Everything seems so close. Looking at the moon and the stars at night…the sun and the clouds in the day…it seems like you should be able to just reach up and touch them. They’re right there and so beautiful and bright.
Sunset is pretty popular here on the North Shore. There’s even a beach named after it. People drop what they’re doing and come from all over just to sit for a bit and watch the sun sink down into the horizon and disappear into the vastness of the Pacific. It is stunning. The colors are so vibrant with the reds and pinks and corals and oranges lighting up the sky. There’s nothing quite like it.
Less popular, however, is moonset. (Is that even a word?) You are far less likely to go down to the beach early in the morning and see crowds watching the moon sink into the ocean, although during full moon it is an amazing sight.
I woke up at early o’clock this morning (that time change can be hard to get used to) and I saw the moonlight streaming into my room, so I went out on the lanai to take it all in.
And I noticed something. Even with how bright and close the moon looked, even with how bright the stars were in the sky, even with all that, things look so different by the moonlight.
I could make out shadows of things, but if I hadn’t seen them in the daylight, there’s no way I would have known what they were. I couldn’t make out the leaves of the mango tree let alone see the fruit. I knew there was a plumeria tree there, but I couldn’t see the flowers or tell what color they were.
I knew there were red hibiscus bushes lining the lawn, but I had to just believe they were there because I had seen them before. And the palm trees just looked like big shadows instead of the tall and waving tropical evidence that I was sitting in paradise.
But when the moon set, the sun came up and brightened the morning and I could see all the vibrant colors and stunning details again.
It’s the same sometimes with life. We go through dark seasons. Times when the sun sets and we feel like we’re navigating in almost complete darkness. We can’t see colors or details or anything but shadows all around us.
Sometimes it can seem like we can’t even see God. We can’t see anything happening. It’s like He isn’t working. We can’t hear Him talking. It can seem like He’s not even there at all.
All we have to go on is the fact that we saw Him when the sun was shining – saw Him moving and heard Him talking and the only reason we even dare to hope that He’s there is because we choose to believe what He said. He’ll never, ever, ever leave us.
Anyone ever been there? I have.
And if that’s you, let me encourage you. Hold on! He is there. He’s working even if you can’t see it. And He’s always talking if we have His Word.
And know this – the moon always sets. Always. And when it does, it’s followed by sunrise, bringing with it a brand new, technicolor day full of promise and hope and grace and more of Him.
Choose to hang on and watch that moon set on the horizon. He’s got you and He won’t let go.