July marks the anniversary of one of humanity’s greatest achievements.
On 20th July 1969, human beings walked on the moon for the very first time. Millions watched in amazement as Neil Armstrong took those famous steps and uttered words that would become part of history.
It remains an astonishing accomplishment.
Yet one of the things that fascinated the astronauts most wasn’t the moon. It was the Earth.
Looking back from space, national borders disappeared. Political arguments vanished. The things that dominate our news bulletins became invisible. Instead, they saw a beautiful blue planet hanging in the darkness.
Perspective changes everything.
Most of us spend a great deal of our lives staring at the immediate. The overflowing inbox. The broken washing machine. The neighbour who insists on mowing the lawn precisely three minutes after you’ve sat down in the garden with a cup of tea.
Life has a way of shrinking our horizons.
The Apostle Paul encourages Christians to “set your minds on things above.” He isn’t suggesting we ignore everyday life. Someone still has to empty the bins. Sadly, they don’t levitate to the kerb by faith alone.
Rather, Paul is reminding us to see life from God’s perspective.
When we do, many things begin to look different.
The argument that seemed enormous suddenly feels less important.
The worry that kept us awake all night becomes more manageable.
The success we were desperately chasing loses some of its grip.
And the people around us become more valuable than the things we own.
The older I get, the more convinced I become that wisdom is often about perspective rather than information. We live in a world overflowing with facts, opinions, podcasts, videos and experts. Yet what we frequently need is not more information but a better vantage point.
Faith gives us that.
It reminds us that we are loved by a God whose plans stretch beyond today’s headlines, tomorrow’s worries and next year’s ambitions.
So this July, perhaps take a moment to look up.
Look up from the phone.
Look up from the to-do list.
Look up from the endless stream of news and notifications.
The world may feel chaotic at times, but God’s view has not changed.
And if you find yourself gazing at the moon on a warm July evening, remember: the most remarkable thing in God’s universe isn’t that human beings reached the moon.
It’s that the God who made the moon reached out to us.
Happy July.
