Captivated

Radiant specks of pure light dance in the night sky. Bright orange from the glory of their former resting place these emissaries of the fire skip to and fro hither and thither against the inky blue backdrop of night. They dazzle my eyes, even to the point where the stars, in all their glory and grandeur, fade into the distant unknown space. I find it amusing that something so small, something so temporary can draw my mind away from something so grand, something so immense, something so... eternal. Yet they do. They occupy my mind and emotions, suddenly all I am is enveloped in this short dance of light, to see where they go, how fast they travel, how brightly they burn....  It encompasses all I am, I let myself be drawn to them and the eternal slips away... Is it because they move and the stars seem so stoic? Is it because they seem so much closer? Is it because it is an offspring of where I am? I do not know, but for some reason they capture me, and I am immovable... until they burn out, which they inevitably do. They must, they cannot last in the vast space of the evening air. They can dance and move and enrapture... but they must burn out. Even the largest and most mesmerizing ember, even though it dances higher and farther and longer than the others, must still surrender its light to the night. To the night, and the brilliant, infinite, eternal and dazzling stars.

 

The Tale of the Moon

My it's been awhile. Well here we go. . .

The moon, like an opalescent eye in the midst of the inky, silky night, shone down upon the earth in full glory. She thought to herself how brightly she illuminated the shadows and mused the fact of her wonderful size in the night sky. Though she was proud she never let it go to her head, she was just happy to be of use. Tonight was an especially wonderful night for her, it seemed everything had come together perfectly to make her display as wonderful as possible. The clouds had parted, the city lights dimmed and the haze of the day had dissipated into a clear and clean night. There she stood bright and beautiful, no other light could compare. As she rose in the sky she heard some men whispering about her, about her beauty and honor and grace. She heard perhaps more than she should, for at that moment she started to think of herself a little too much. Why shouldn't she receive praise? She thought to herself. After all, she had been chosen out of the countless heavenly bodies to be light to earths night. She also controlled the tide and was a sign of the seasons. Why shouldn't she receive high honor? At that moment her mind turned, and as must follow her heart soon after. She began to think it was something of herself that attracted the attention she received, perhaps her wonderful size or unique surface. As she begun to think of it, her thoughts of giving light and being a sign to men lessened and lessened till all that she dwelt on was her own glory. She began to look down on the other heavenly bodies, she scoffed at their seeming worthlessness. With her change in attitude came also a change in her work ethic, she was tardy with her control of the tides, she was often late and would sometimes forget altogether which caused untold havoc on earth. it got to the point where she was completely useless. She could not be trusted for a light, she could not be used as a guide, and the tides varied so much that it was dangerous to dwell near water much less attempt to sail. The sun watched all this and thought that now was the time to intervene. On a night when the moon was late coming out men sat outside their houses and watched as she rose into the sky. Then they witnessed a strange phenomenon, her light flickered a bit and then went completely out. She had been late before, she had been irresponsibly with her tasks before but she had always remained lit, What was this? Men cursed her and then withdrew to their beds. The moon herself did not expect it at all, one moment she was illuminated, the next she was as dark as the night that surrounded her. She knew what happened, the Sun had taken the light he apportioned to her and now she was cold and black. No longer did she revel in her glory, no longer did she draw from man's lips wonder and praise, all she now received was obscene words and curses. A fortnight later on a night when the stars were dim and the wind was stiff a ship of a certain land was returning home after a long voyage. Her crew, consisting of fathers, brothers, sons and husbands anxiously awaited the warm welcome they were to receive when they landed. As they neared the shore, they ran aground on shoals just outside the harbor. The wind and the waves battered the ship till it fell apart, the men on board jumped overboard but since the moon did not shine at all they quickly became confused in the darkness. Not one of them made it to shore, every one perished within swimming distance of land. The moon then wept bitterly, Her salt tears bleaching her surface. Oh had her pride had not gotten in the way perhaps those men would have been saved. She wept more and more washing away the dirt on her surface as well as the pride that had become her downfall. The sun witnessed all this, He saw the moon and how bitterly she wept, he saw her changed heart as well as her new countenance and decided to give her back her glory. When he directed once again the light towards her, the rays reflected brightly off her white surface and gave a new light to earth. Her old glory could not be compared to this new luminance that seemingly emanated from her core as well as her surface. the light was cleaner, brighter, more unadulterated it seemed, men everywhere stood outside their doors, on their porches and out from under tents to gaze at this wonderful sight. And men would follow suit for generations and still gaze in wonder even to this day. And that is why, once a month the moon's light becomes invisible to man's eyes, in order to remind her of her great sin and that the only reason she shines is because of the mercy and light of the sun.

I will leave it up to you, the reader to gain what you may from this little story.

What Will I have in Common? (a story)

What Will I Have On Common
By David White


That moment, that one moment, the moment in existence that all but a few dread. I lived a good life, I did what I could. But now, as I approach the gates of heaven, a doubt crosses my mind “What will I have in common?” As I walk through this city, this great and beautiful city, I see on every face something similar, and I ask myself “What do I have in common?” I pass by these men and women who for the Cross gave their homes, their influence, their status, their success, their Life. I walk past these people, and in their eyes I see a Love. I see my face in a passing reflection, what do I see? Something? Anything? My thoughts come fast but one drowns out all others “What is it that they have in common?” I approach near the throne and in everybody's eyes I see something, what is it? What is it? Now I stand before God, and in his eyes I see something, “What is it that He has in common with everyone else here?” He looks in my eyes with a gaze so piercing, Oh, so piercing. He says “What do you have in common with all of us?" I crumble to my knees and kneel before His Throne and weep and cry out “I don't know” I lifted my head and His eyes meet mine, He says “You have seen it in the eyes of the saints, and on the faces of believers. You have heard it in the voices of thousands of men and women worshiping. You have seen it in the eyes of men and women on earth. I have seen it in the eyes of the martyrs, those who have given their lives. And what is it? What do we have in common?” I hold my breath awaiting and dreading the reply, and at last he speaks. In a voice that is like thunder, like rain, like laughter, and like sorrow. And at that moment He does what I least expect, He cries. Through his tears He says to me “The thing you see in all of our eyes, is a Love for my Son.” And when He looks at me, He weeps, and says“You don't have that Love in your eyes.” And at that moment I remember. I saw the look in my mothers eyes right before she left her body. I saw it on the faces of men and women that would smile at me though I didn't know why. I saw it in the faces and heard it in the voices of the people that would come to my door and ask if I would like to accept Jesus. I didn't. And now as Christ the Son of God walks in, I look at Him, and He looks at me, with a gaze that would have crumbled stone, but behind that gaze I see a sorrow. As he speaks to me His voice breaks “Depart From Me, I Never Knew You.” And at that moment I fell, and as I was falling I could only hope for those who were still on earth.


Think.