Star Gazing

Stars are so cool. I was taught that looking at a star is like looking into the past. The nearest stars are millions of light years away, so it takes a very very long time for their light to reach us. By the time we are able to see their shine, we may just be seeing what light is left of a burnt-out star that no longer exists.

If you've never taken time to go star gazing, do it. Lay out on the grass, sit on the roof, swing on the porch, something! Find a place where you get a good, clear shot of the sky and stare at it. Trust me, it is so worth it.

I know when I look up, I always see the brightest, biggest stars first. Usually there's only a small handful of them, and that's where my eyes immediately go. But when I look longer and harder, more and more stars appear. They are smaller and dimmer, although just as beautiful.

It really is mind blowing how many there are. A couple times I've tried to count them, but I only get frustrated when my eyes catch glimpse of another sparkle that I hadn't noticed before. Plainly, there is an infinite amount of stars in what seems to be an infinite amount of sky.

"The moon and the stars to rule over the night, for His steadfast love endures forever." Psalm 136:9

God's blessings are kind of like that, too. It's easy to notice His "bigger" stars, or blessings-- new job, sold house, new baby, getting married, pay raise, healed sickness. When good things happen to us, we are more likely and more willing to give Him praise. That's just our nature. God, in those circumstances, is the most obvious target to give glory.

But there are so many other littler stars, or blessings, God shines our way but we fail to see. I can think of a couple reasons right off the top of my head that we miss out: 1) We are too focused on the bigger stars     2) We don't look long or hard enough

When God lives inside of us, we see the world in a way we never did before. We see Him everywhere, we see His handprint on everything. Even when it comes to the simple stuff. We find ourselves lookers into His night sky, marveling at not only the big, eye-catching stars but also at the more distant, fainter ones-- a great price on an item, a warm day, the smile in a friend's face, a phone call from someone you love... those, too, are blessings from Him.

"When I look at your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for Him." Psalm 8:3-4
 
Have you been missing any of God's blessings in your life? Have you only been focusing on the ones that appear most obvious? Take time to look longer and harder at His world around you.

Jeremiah 29:13 says "You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart."

When we think of "stars," most of us envision sparkly diamonds in the sky. But let's not forget that the sun is one, too.

With that knowledge, we can take comfort in the truth that somewhere a star is shining.

Kinda like God's blessings... they're always there.

-Rachel