July 20th, 1969. I remember that day (well a few minutes of it anyway). It was the day man first walked on the moon and I was just a little tike at 4 ½ year’s old. The photo today reminds me of the lift-off countdown.
We had a small 19 inch black and white television and Walter Cronkite was walking everyone through the landing before the moonwalk. Who could forget ole’ Walter? Now, HE was a newscaster. I had a great new rocket toy my mother had purchased for me that I was playing with by the couch.
The suspense of watching Neil Armstrong jump off that ladder and saying, ‘One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind’ still ring in my head. I looked over, and my mother was crying because she was so excited. The whole world was watching. Over 530 million in fact. What a moment.
Today, it seems like small news when we hear about space missions and accomplishments by NASA. One thing I am, and maybe because of being raised during the height of the space race, is a bit of a space nerd. It fascinates me to learn more about God’s creation and the universe around us.
The Mrs. probably gets tired of me watching shows about ancient aliens (which I like because of the archeology and the ‘how did they do that?’ factor). It all just inspires me to see that, when we put our mind to it, man can do nearly anything.
I think of all the roadblocks they had to overcome and the times there were failures. Yet, they kept going. It really relates to everyday life too.
One of the things I’ve always struggled with is criticism. I don’t know about you, but, when people are critical and make judgements without knowing me or the facts, it just makes me want to punch back. Because of God’s grace, I’ve learned to let go and let Him fight my battles. Not to say there haven’t been times when I needed to stand up for myself.
Relationships can be messy and keep us from being all that we could be if we don't keep our focus and not allow criticism, failures, and the doomsayers from talking us out of what we know we can do. The negatives in life can keep us down if we let them. They can keep us from reaching to the moon!
One of those old shows I enjoyed watching while growing up was The Honeymooners. It seemed like every day, Ralph would do something that made Alice upset and he would, in turn, get upset with her. My favorite line of his was, ‘One of these days, Alice, Bang! Zoom! You’re goin’ to the moon!’…
Of course, he really loved her and would never smack her, but it was funny to see him try to defend himself, when all along, Alice was really the one in charge!
If you’re feeling beat down by life today that keeps telling you, ‘Bang! Zoom! You’re going to the moon!’, be encouraged. Life may bark, but it’s bite is usually pretty harmless. Just like Ralph’s...
Remember to keep your eyes on the prize and to keep moving forward, even when there are setbacks and disappointments. One day, you may just take that small step, or giant leap, that you’ve been preparing for many years to take. And everyone around you will know you did it!
