Photo by Neale LaSalle on Pexels.com
One of my favorite memories from childhood was camping out in my friend’s backyard in Arizona. This camping was simple – a bunch of us in our sleeping bags, laid out on a tarp, under the stars.
At that time, you could see the stars so clearly and they seemed close enough to reach out and touch. My goal on those nights was not just to see a shooting star so I could make a wish, but I wanted to catch one. I actually thought this was possible. To me, if I could have caught a falling star and kept it in my pocket or in a jar beside my bed (next to all the lightning bugs I caught) then I could wish for anything at anytime. Spoiler alert: I never caught one.
It’s funny to look back at the things you thought were possible as a child. As an adult, I look up at the night sky in awe, and do still hope to see a shooting star, but not for the same reasons. My “view” has changed.
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” Psalm 19:1
Now I am in awe of the beauty of their creation. I think about how each star is perfectly placed in a spot, intentionally, by His design. I think about how each one has a name and how He knows exactly how many there are. It’s a fantastic and magnificent mystery.
“He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.” Psalm 147:4
I went from selfish intentions to outward praise. There is incredible glory in His creation and the night sky, even if it’s only one start you can see, is something to marvel at.
“The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.” 1 Corinthians 15:41
After all, it was a star that led the wise men to Jesus.
Raelyn Pracht 