A county judge was constantly ridiculed by a conceited lawyer. When asked by a friend why he didn’t reprimand the attorney, the judge replied, “In our town, there is a widow who has a dog. And whenever the moon shines, the dog goes outside and barks all night.” After saying that, he shifted the conversation to another subject. Finally, someone asked, “But Judge, what about the dog and the moon?” “Oh,” he replied, “the moon just keeps on shining.”
This past Sunday, I talked about how our words carry a lot of power, and how we should watch our mouths, especially as our words relate to others. Well, this got me to thinking about how we are to deal with those who just can’t keep from being critical of or insulting others. It did not take me long to find a very good example that was given to us by Jesus when He was being mocked and insulted by others: “When He was insulted, He did not insult in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but entrusted Himself to the One who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23).
As you probably know, the moon does not produce its own light. What you see each night is the moon reflecting light from the sun. As Christians, we are basically moons. Jesus says that we are “the light of the world.” We are to reflect His light to everyone around us. So, the next time some insults you, do the following:
- Do not retaliate;
- Pray for them; and
- Go ahead and let your moon shine.
God’s Best…Pastor Steven