Marvel at the MoonSample

What Happened to the Moon?

What ’s up with the Moon? Some nights it’s a huge ball of light. Other nights, it looks like a half-eaten chunk of pie in the sky. Some nights, it’s barely a sliver. And then it seems to go away completely. Why does the Moon keep changing its shape? Actually, it doesn’t.

The way the Moon orbits the Earth causes us to see more—or less—of it each night. Those changes are called phases (FAYZ-ez). Even though the Moon orbits the Earth every 27.3 days, it goes through its phases every 29.5 days because of the way the sunlight hits it.

On day one of the Moon’s phases, we see the New Moon—or we might not. That’s because the Moon is between Earth and the Sun, blocking the Sun’s light. As the Moon continues to orbit the Earth, each night we gradually see more and more of the Sun’s reflected light. When the Moon orbits to the opposite side of Earth, we see the entire Moon lit up—the Full Moon. After that night, the Moon begins “shrinking” again.

Like the Moon, your friendships can go through phases. Sometimes you’ll be blessed with the best of best friends. Other times, you’ll be the new kid in the neighborhood and wondering who you can hang out with. There will be phases when your circle of friends is pretty small. And sometimes your life will be full of friends who care about you. No matter what phase of friendship you’re in, you can choose to be a friend. Ask God to show you those who are lonely—and invite them into your circle of friends.

God, please help me to be a good friend to those around me—no matter what phase of friendship I’m in. Amen.