Making the Most of Moons

Did you know all moons are different?  Until recently, I didn't.  You would think someone would have mentioned that back in grade school.  Maybe they did.  Maybe I was passing a note at the time.  Regardless, each moon is unique with its own distinctions and personality.   Kinda like us.  People, that is.  So, lately, I've been thinking about moons.

Moons are formed in several ways. (That puts a kink in the 'kinda like us' theory, but let's just ignore that part for now, shall we?)  The two prominent ways moons are formed are either from the dust particles left over when a star turned on or from the debris left over from when a planet formed.  The 'left overs' eventually clump together to make rocks, then the rocks smack into each other and make boulders.  Boulders smack into other boulders, and eventually, after a certain size is obtained, gravity kicks in and the accumulated 'left overs' become a moon.  Seems like a lot of time investment for a measly ol' moon.

Allow me the liberty to use my imagination to draw parallels between moons and people here.  The formation of a moon does seem to take forever but, what started as a little bit of nothing will eventually grow into something massive and expansive.  In Genesis God clearly states we are formed from dust. (By the way, if anyone ever calls you a dirt bag, you should just reply with, "I know.") Although we physically grow instead of morphing by accretion into an adult, we also do a lot of smacking into things. 

Toddlers smack into coffee tables.  Children smack into other children on the playground.  Character and integrity are just two of the many attributes learned through smacking - the confrontation of different wills that, in time, produce in us what is most needed.  (Siblings are very good "smackers".  Physical and otherwise.)  The teenage years should really be called a smack-a-thon.  The season of being evicted from your childhood and banished into adulthood is one where all the smacking seems most fierce.  But, eventually, the smacking stops, reality (gravity) kicks in and we settle down into the comfortable zone of just being who we are. 

But how are moons different from one another?  It's all in how they were raised (formed).  Moons, by definition, are satellites.  They orbit something, be it a planet, asteroid, or even another moon.  A moon that is formed close to a planet will be different from a moon formed farther away from the planet.  Why?  Gravity.  Gravities from the moon, the planet, and even other nearby moons or planets, play a constant tug of war with the moon, creating tidal forces in the moon's core.  These forces shape the distinctions of a moon.

Moons formed closer to their planet can be volcanic with lava or ice, causing their surface to be in a constant state of change and renewal such as one of Jupiter's moons, Io.   Moons formed far away from their planet are lifeless and barren and will bare the crater marks and scars of asteroids who happened to smack into them.  Earth's moon, Luna, is an example.

Jupiter's Moon - Io

Earth's Moon - Luna

That information alone, the fact that a moon's surface can change, really got me thinking.  I think people are like moons.  Those closest to what they are orbiting, be it a parent, friend, or even God, will have more turmoil, more experiences.  It is the nature of things.  People interacting with people creates friction and that friction, both good and bad, creates change.  The interactions remake who we are, changing our 'surface', but showing that life is present. 

The opposite is true of those who have chosen to distance themselves from their 'planet'.  The absence of turmoil, while seemingly peaceful, creates a dead and lifeless 'surface'.  Scarring of previous injuries remain leaving signs of hurt and hardship.  Ever met someone that could only be described as bitter?  Cold?  Harsh?  I think those people just need to hypothetically move closer to their planet.  What they perceive as peace is really just barrenness.

Another interesting tidbit - should a moon get too close to their planet, the planet's gravity will suck the moon in and destroy it.   Were I to apply my theory, if you get too close to your family, they'll kill you.  Too close to friends, they'll destroy you.  Even Moses on the mountain couldn't get too close to God without being annihilated. 

Great! That's just something else for me to think about.