Remember to Look Up at the Stars

I remember going to Joshua Tree National Park and watching the last rays of light vanish from the desert’s golden surface, chased away by dusk’s purple shadows.

And then I remember looking up to see a sky that was smeared with stars. Thousands of them, all shining against the darkness of a wide night sky.

I remember lying on a picnic blanket, looking up at those stars in awe. And I remember looking out the window on the drive back, still in awe of those same stars.

The stars can make even the desert look like something indescribably beautiful.

It’s by looking up at the stars that I am reminded of how there must be something more than what can be seen here on this Earth.

It’s by looking at the stars that I am reminded of how there must be a Creator of this Earth.

And it’s by looking at the stars that I am reminded of how much that Creator must love us.

There can be so many times when God feels so distant, when it’s doubtful if He’s even there or if He even cares. But all you have to do is take a step outside.

Take a step outside, and look up at the stars. God is there, and He does care.

It’s so easy for us to sprint through life and forget to look up at the stars. But what would happen if you let yourself slow down, and you took the time to truly notice those stars? 

God’s placed a million little stars in your life—every simple moment, every special person, every color-stained sunset or autumn-changed leaf or dew-covered flower. There are a million little stars, a million simple blessings, and all of them will point you back to your Creator.

There are a million little stars, a million simple blessings, and all of them will point you back to your Creator.

But you’re not going to notice those stars unless you take the time to look for them—unless you take the time to count your blessings and thank God for them all. And letting yourself slow down, stopping to look up at the stars—that’ll give you the refreshment you need to keep running down life’s road.

But maybe you’re someone who’s been looking up at the stars for so long that you’ve forgotten about their beauty. Maybe you’ve spent so much time trying to notice the stars, trying to find the beauty in the simplest blessings, but all you can see are a few soft glows in the sky.

Sometimes the stars may appear to be lost in the darkness—or lost in all the pain that you’re struggling through. 

And sometimes the stars may seem to be washed out by the city’s lights—or washed out by all the distractions in our everyday world.

And yet, even in the pain, even in the distractions, the stars are still shining.

Even if they’re only faint lights, they’re still shining for you.

And God still cares for you.

You may feel like just another star in a galaxy teeming with stars. You may feel like a star whose light is fading. You may feel like a star who doesn’t know how to shine.

But the God who hung the stars in the sky is the same God who created you. 

And the God who hung the stars in the sky is the same God who is watching you now.

God’s still here, and there’s a sky full of stars to proclaim His glory.

So when life’s road takes you down the driest desert highway, remember to look up at the stars. Look up at the stars. The stars shine the brightest in the desert. The stars shine the brightest in the desolation. The stars shine the brightest in the darkness.

Wherever you are on life’s road, the stars will always be shining for you.

They’ll always be ready to point you to the brightest Star of all.

Remember to look up at the stars.

“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, ESV