“Why does the moon appear to be following us?” my eleven-year-old asked as we drove across the bridge stretched over the lake. I glanced over at the moon. The calm, blue lake water magnified the beauty of the luminous sphere hovering above it. And as soon as we reached the other side of the bridge where trees lined the road, the moon seemed to travel alongside our minivan, peaking through the trees as our very own personal escort.
My eleven-year-old joyfully recollected, “When I was little, I thought the sun followed me around everywhere!” Then her tone sobered and grew somber as she continued, “I used to think I was special.”
My heart sank, but I pounced on this golden opportunity to connect with my daughter and let her know that I remember believing that the sun followed me around too when I had been a little girl, which made me feel special as well. But while the delight of childhood innocence, wonder, and significance flooded my senses, I was convicted by the notion that for both us, feeling special was a thing of the past, a fleeting thought. We didn’t say, “That’s when I knew I’m special.” For some reason, the bliss of being special seemed to belong in our pasts.
As I grieved how being special had been banished to our pasts, I quickly reminded my daughter that she is special and that the sun and the moon will forever follow her around to remind her that she is — even right now in the present.
But I was troubled. When, in her eleven years, did she stop believing she was special? When did I stop believing I was special? At what age or stage in life do we stop watching the sun and moon follow us? When does the notion of being special become abandoned to childhood memories? And for those of us who thought we were special, what do we think we are now? I was sorrowful that my daughter relegated being special to the imagination of her much younger self.
In reality, we know that the sun and moon are not actually following us around. Due to our field of vision, objects, like the sun and the moon, which are extremely far away are visible for a longer period of time than objects much closer to us, like trees, houses, and bridges. As we move, or in my case, speed along, trees quickly disappear from our range of vision while the sun, which is about ninety-three million miles away, remains visible. Therefore, no matter how fast we drive, as long as the sun is in our field of vision, it will appear to be following us. What a magnificent illusion!
That quick glance at the moon with my daughter prompted the “bliss of being special” to echo within me. In that moment, I realized we all need to pause to resurrect childlike wonder, to indulge in the significance of having the sun and moon as companions, and to hold onto the bliss of believing we are special.
I don’t know when it becomes normal to stop believing we are special. Perhaps it’s when our faculty of imagination is crowded out by prescribed facts and figures in school. Perhaps it’s when we experience perpetual disappointment, drama, or trauma. Perhaps it’s when life requires us to solely focus on survival, so we fuse our identities with established groups who narrate our paths.
But regardless of our current conventions, I believe we need to regularly pause to embrace the notion that we are uniquely crafted. We need to create moments to recall that each of us is a masterpiece, made by God, worthy of the sun’s adoration. We need to be still and know that each of us is a gift to the planet, worthy of the moon’s admiration.
When I feel oppressed by the daily demands of conventional life — chauffeuring my children, wife-ing, teaching, planning, self-caring, surviving the traffic on I77 — I need to pause to allow myself to simply look at the trees. My gaze begins where the trunk meets the ground. There, I am reminded of the strength of the root work. Then my gaze follows the trunk upward to the branches extending up and out. There, I am reminded that strong root work defies gravity and reaches toward the heavens. I breathe it all in. And in my exhale, I am invigorated.
And now, when I am whisking along, moving from home to school to volleyball practice, basketball tournaments, dance recitals, and the grocery story — when taking a reflective pause would actually cause chaos — I glance over at the sun or moon to acknowledge that they are providing me a V.I.P escort. As I hasten from place to place, I will allow this magnificent optical illusion to remind me that I am, indeed, special, right now in the present. I allow my childhood bliss of being special to return to abide with me in the present.
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)
Each of us can get drowned out by life’s conventions. What will you do to remember to live in the truth that you are a created, purpose-filled masterpiece?
We need to create moments to recall that each of us is a masterpiece, made by God. -Lucretia Berry (@brownicity): Click To Tweet Leave a Comment
Lucretia,
I’m feeling pretty special, today, because it’s my birthday. It’s great that at least once per year, everyone rallies round to let you know how special you are, and then the other 364 days of the year, we are kind of left to fend for ourselves. I believe that as we get older and pose more of a threat to the enemy, he goes on a mission – whispering lies in our ear – telling us we are a disappointment, less than, not good enough. With every misstep we make, he is right there saying, “I told you that you were a screw up.” You hear that voice enough and the voice of the world isn’t much better and you start to believe the lies. That is precisely the time when I/we need to dive into the Truth found in scripture for a refresher course on just how special we are to God. After he made Creation, He made us as His crowing achievement. He sent His Son to die for our sins while we were still sinners. God would only do that for someone of great worth to Him. Psalm 139 reminds me that I am created with awe and wonder – fearfully and wonderfully made. God made all of Creation just for my/our good pleasure. Only a God who is fiercely in love with us does that. Truth squashes lies….so when I think the moon or the sun isn’t following me, I remind myself that God and the Son truly are. Joining with you in rediscovering our childlike delight in Whose we are in Christ.
Blessings,
Bev xx
Bev,
Happy Birthday sweet sister!! I pray you have a great day!!
Thanks, Beth…it was a great day!
Bev xx
Happy happy birthday Bev!!! May you notice the son and moon admiring you. May you feel hugged by God’s love and grace through the Son.
Shalom
LCB
What a beautiful blessing, Lucretia! Thank you so much!
Bev xx
Happy Happy Birthday Bev, You are special to many, many people..Don’t ever forget it!
Frances,
Thank you, always, for your blessed reminders!!
Bev xx
Happy Birthday dear Bev,
You have been a friend, and a blessing to me, thank-you.
I hope that you have a joyful & blessed BD
Penny
Penny,
Thank you so much. You, too, have been a blessing to me.
Gratefully,
Bev xx
What a lovely and timely post. I’m not sure what I will use as a trigger during rushing through life with my mum hat on to stop and remind me I am Gods masterpiece…maybe speak the verse as a morning affirmation? I definitely need to include this in my daily habits!! I want to be free to do the good things God planned for me to do long ago!! Thank you!
Hi Jas. Yes, I am happy to know that you are working on a plan to remind yourself daily, that you are God’s masterpiece!
You’re welcome.
Thank you for reading!
Shalom
LCB
Today, easing into the day with slow rhythms, I took time to realize that God’s eyes were on me. I think I forget in the hurry. Could this be why we stop knowing that we are special?
Hi Michele!
I agree. When I move more slowly and with intention — especially in the mornings– I can feel God’s eyes on me.
Thank you for reading and sharing!
Shalom
LCB
This is so beautiful to share with my young daughter.
Hi Elizabeth.
My daughter was elated that I wrote about our conversation. I hope your daughter is encouraged by it.
Thank you for reading and sharing!
Shalom
LCB
Lucretia,
In our hurried everyday life it is easy to forget that we are special/unique one of a kind creatures. The world only recognizes “super people”. The actors, actresses, musicians, singers, models, heads of companies, etc. The common person isn’t noticed in all the hubbub. But God-He notices us all the time. He knows our quirky personalities, gifts, & needs. He gives us the sun, moon, trees, flowers to let us know we are distinctive from anyone else here on the planet. We ourselves need to take a walk in nature & see all the beauty that is out there-differing plants, animals, & trees. Just as each bird, animal, plant is special in God’s eyes-we are that much more to Him. He went to the cross for us. I pray that everyone will know how special & loved they are.
Blessings 🙂
Hi Beth!
I loved what you’ve expressed. Yes, the world seems to overlook that which God delights in. Its so important that we align our adoration, celebration, and rejoicing with the One who created us.
Thank you for reading and sharing!
Shalom
LCB
Beautiful my friend. And I can attest that you ARE special!! 🙂
Niki
Thank you Niki! You ARE special, and I am so glad to witness God’s artistry through you!
Thank you for reading and sharing!
Shalom
LCB
I love this! We should feel special every day. Thank you!!
Hi Trudy!
I agree! We need to remind ourselves every morning so that we can perceive each day as an opportunity to cultivate God’s artistry.
Thank you for reading and sharing!
Shalom
LCB
Lucretia,
This was special, thank-you for sharing your thoughts with us today. This verse was in my husband’s Bd card:
Life is full of wonderful blessings-
Faith, love and the joy of knowing someone as special as you!
I hope that you all have a blessed day,
Penny
Penny,
You’re welcome! Acknowledging the uniqueness of our loved ones reminds us not to take them for granted and helps us appreciate the gift that they are.
Thank you for reading and sharing!
Shalom
LCB
I know that sometimes we forget that God has made each of us unique with special gifts and talents. I just need to remind myself that God loves me very very much.
If I was the only person he would have died for just me.
Let’s never forget we are special and to remind others that they are special and that God loves them also.
Hi Lisa,
Yes, let’s appreciate God’s artistry in ourselves and others.
Thank you for reading and sharing!
Shalom
LCB
This was beautifully said and thank you for sharing! Being a creative person, this has made me think upon God the Master Craftsman. A Master Craftsmen already knows what his masterpiece will look like and what it will reflect before he has created it. And we are that masterpiece, created from His heart and His hands, to reflect who He is and to do His good will as He has He already purposed us. That is pretty special!
Hi Valerie!
I love this: “A Master Craftsmen already knows what his masterpiece will look like and what it will reflect before he has created it.” I will think about how I was well thought out and planned before I was even realized.
Thank you for reading and sharing!
Shalom
LCB