Stop...Look...Listen

Stars are a very interesting thing would you agree? They consists of burning gases and element that are contained within some kind of vortex. At least I think that is what they consists of. To be quite honest though I don’t know much about stars and what they are made of. I know they are bright, I know they are distant, and I know that there position in space is relatively constant in some planes. But they are so much more than that. A few weeks ago I was visiting a friend in Beatrice, Alabama and right before I started winding down for the night I started looking up at the stars. Now I know this sounds cheesy, and other things that aren’t typically characteristic of male feelings…..but it was beautiful. I saw so many stars…and as I was standing there in awe of how many there were and their magnitude…I realized that I take them for granted every single night.

How often do we stop and look around? How often do we look at nature and stars and just say wow? Once, twice…maybe three times a years. I mean being completely honest I would say on average I watch 3 sunsets a year, 0 sunrises, and I look up at constellations maybe 15 times a year. That is sad. What am I looking at instead? What is dominating my eyes, ears, and time? I think we can all answer that question with a number of different things…..stuff like girls, sports, electronics, girls, current events., school, work, parties, and girls. Why is it that we are so consumed with being in the moment? We ask what can you do for me now? And I am not saying that I am exempt from these feelings. I wish I spent more times looking at things like flowers and sitting in the woods….but in our culture today we are bombarded from every single direction by things. Do we not have time for nature? I heard someone say once don’t ever say you don’t have enough time in the day because you have the same amount that Helen Keller, Martin Luther King Jr., and Jesus had.

They made time for important things in life. And not saying that girls, sports, and hobbies are bad time fulfilling options I am just saying when viewed in a self-serving and chief importance kind of way---they are. All things are created by God and for God, and sometimes you have to come to the understanding of whether or not you are using his gifts strictly for your own pleasure or not. And personally I think that coming to an understanding that you have these problems can easily be seen when you are in the middle of nowhere looking up at the stars. You see things that show of a more powerful reason for living. You see things that are truly amazing. You see things that make your egocentric actions completely visible.

I guess what I am trying to say is look up at the stars, watch sunrises, stop and smell the roses. These are gifts from the almighty God. These are things that show His power, grace, and beauty. Make much of God.