Shooting the Moon

A few days ago my sister Jeanette and I had a discussion about the meaning of the phrase 'shooting the moon'. I don't remember how we got on the topic, but as we discussed it, I was struck by how shooting the moon (or not) is illustrative of how we live our lives.

Jeanette looked up the phrase on-line and found this:
"The meaning of 'shoot the moon' or sometimes 'shoot for the moon' is to go for everything or nothing, to go whole hog, to pull out the stops, to go for broke, to make an all-out effort..." You get the picture.

"The term 'shoot the moon' is also used in the card game 'hearts.' Hearts is a points based game and most of the time the goal is to acquire the least number of hearts possible. But if one chooses to risk 'shooting the moon' and wins all the hearts and the queen of spades in the course of play, the player may deliver a crushing blow to their opponents....So this card game strategy follows directly from the above meaning."

I am an avid and fairly skillful hearts player. I shared with Jeanette that when I play a hand, sometimes I know from the outset that I can shoot the moon, and other times the possibility slowly dawns on me. During these times I must make the decision to be daring or timid. While it's possible that one can make the attempt to take all the tricks and fail, the exhilaration of shooting the moon is undeniable.

Going for broke is a scary proposition for many people. Much effort and anxiety are spent to maintain the status quo. "Don't rock the boat." "No news is good news." Sentiments like these may sound attractive when change seems scary, but they never turned the world upside down.

The mystery of the Incarnation is the ultimate expression of "shooting the moon." There could certainly be nothing more bold or risky than god sending his Son in the form of an infant into our dark world. The status quo was the last thing on the Almighty's mind! Instead, He set out to ransom our hearts - to restore our fellowship with Him.

There is something in us (no matter how risk averse we are) that longs to shoot the moon. Life is really a grand adventure. "For you are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to lead the life of good works that God prepared for you in advance, that you should walk in them (Eph 2:10). God's kingdom is going forward, and we are invited to share in His work. Just as the Incarnation was marked by boldness and daring, we are invited to boldly follow. Though shooting the moon involves some risk, like in the card game, success delivers a crushing blow to our opponent.

In the coming year it is my prayer that you shoot the moon whenever you're dealt a hand that will allow for it. Make it count for the One who "went for broke" to achieve our redemption.