Observing Opportunities

“Then Rahab let them down by a rope through the window. (Her house was built as part of the city wall; she lived in the wall.)” (Joshua 2:15 NET)

It was still dark when I started my run that morning. The full moon lit up the dark sky. Over the next hour, I noticed the moon kept moving closer to the horizon. As the first rays of the sun grandly arrived in the east, the moon disappeared unceremoniously in the west. This was the first time in my life that I had observed a moonset. I have watched the sun rise and set many times at numerous locations all around the world. I’ve woken up early and stayed up late on vacations to take pictures of the sun over oceans and mountains. Why did it take me so long to notice the moon’s movements?

Lunar gravity affects ocean tides, plant growth, and the Earth’s rotation. Invisibility does not equate to insignificance. A lack of observation does not represent a lack of importance. The movements of the moon are no less meaningful just because we fail to notice.

If I told you I had never seen the ocean, you would assume I didn’t live near an ocean--not that I hadn’t bothered to step outside and look. Sunsets, oceans, mountains, massive buildings, statues, etc., receive a lot of hype.  People will go to great lengths to observe the spectacular and experience the sensational. Yet, we miss the unassuming things right around us. 

The Bible tells the story of Rahab--a lowly woman who lived in a wall. No one paid any attention to what she did, yet, she changed the course of history by her actions. The poor, powerless, and voiceless have always lived in the margins of society. They don’t get a lot of hype. We don’t go out of our way to observe their plight or experience their hardships. Thus, we miss out on what is right in front of us. Invisibility is a failure on the part of the observer; it does not diminish the significance of the observed.