One of my favorite things is the night sky filled with stars. You know the very first scene in Disney's Aladdin where the narrator throws a handful of sand into the air and the sand comes to life, sparkling and whizzing around only to take it's place as the stars in the night sky? Or in the television series Dr. Who where he looks up at the stars and tells Rose that there are billions and billions of worlds? I feel like that when I look at the stars. I also love Van Gogh's painting Starry Night for the same reason. It perfectly captures how I feel about the night sky. There are billions of worlds! People and places and things I cannot even imagine! It speaks to me. The stars are practically alive! But at the same time, you can be still, contemplate, feel peace, eternity, and glory just by looking up. I love that. When God made the stars even He was pleased and "... saw that it was good" (Genesis chapter 1 verse 18).
I could spend hours looking at the stars. Because I like them so much, I try to re-create the night sky with glow in the dark plastic stars in my bedroom. I have probably seventy-five stars, moons, galaxies, planets, and comets that I take great pride in arranging on my bedroom wall. I try to arrange them, not in designs, but as the actual stars appear. It is harder than it sounds! It is a poor substitute, but I still get a lot of joy from having them glow over me in the night. I call the finished product my "little universe" or my star wall. Unlike the real night sky, my star wall stars only glows if I shine a light on them first. Therefore, every night I shine a light on them before I go to bed. I call this ritual "charging my universe." Once my universe is charged, I turn off the lights and voila! The whole wall is a glitter! It is fantastic!
God is God because the things He does and the things He creates are perfect. They are awe inspiring and motivate all mankind to do good. We are His children. He tries to teach us how to do the things He does. Fortunately, star creation is not a requirement here on earth. But just like I try to follow God's pattern of stars on my wall, we should try to follow other patterns He gives. Christ demonstrates all of these patterns: caring for the poor, the sick, the widowed, worshiping on the sabbath, studying and teaching from the scriptures, forgiving others, etc. Even though our efforts to replicate God's patterns in our life may be small, plastic, and require charging, we can still feel joy. If we are following God's design in our lives then we will get the same joy in the results or "creations" that God does in His. That is the point! God has given us this tiny life of our own to learn how to do His works and receive joy from them. The stars, as amazing as they are, were not the crowning achievement or the purpose of God's creations. It was us! and we should find joy in our work, or, in trying to be like God. David is impressed by this fact in Psalms chapter 8 verses 3-6, 9:
Champion good! Follow God's patterns! Receive joy!
I could spend hours looking at the stars. Because I like them so much, I try to re-create the night sky with glow in the dark plastic stars in my bedroom. I have probably seventy-five stars, moons, galaxies, planets, and comets that I take great pride in arranging on my bedroom wall. I try to arrange them, not in designs, but as the actual stars appear. It is harder than it sounds! It is a poor substitute, but I still get a lot of joy from having them glow over me in the night. I call the finished product my "little universe" or my star wall. Unlike the real night sky, my star wall stars only glows if I shine a light on them first. Therefore, every night I shine a light on them before I go to bed. I call this ritual "charging my universe." Once my universe is charged, I turn off the lights and voila! The whole wall is a glitter! It is fantastic!
God is God because the things He does and the things He creates are perfect. They are awe inspiring and motivate all mankind to do good. We are His children. He tries to teach us how to do the things He does. Fortunately, star creation is not a requirement here on earth. But just like I try to follow God's pattern of stars on my wall, we should try to follow other patterns He gives. Christ demonstrates all of these patterns: caring for the poor, the sick, the widowed, worshiping on the sabbath, studying and teaching from the scriptures, forgiving others, etc. Even though our efforts to replicate God's patterns in our life may be small, plastic, and require charging, we can still feel joy. If we are following God's design in our lives then we will get the same joy in the results or "creations" that God does in His. That is the point! God has given us this tiny life of our own to learn how to do His works and receive joy from them. The stars, as amazing as they are, were not the crowning achievement or the purpose of God's creations. It was us! and we should find joy in our work, or, in trying to be like God. David is impressed by this fact in Psalms chapter 8 verses 3-6, 9:
"When I consider thy heavens, the work of they fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou has made him a little lower than the angels and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:... O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!"
Champion good! Follow God's patterns! Receive joy!
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