Soaking in the Summer Sky

The Persied Meteor Shower happens every year right around my birthday. I remember many summers as a child when we would stay at a cabin on Medicine Lake during that week. At night we would wrap up in sleeping bags, and lay out on the dock or in a rowboat anchored close to shore. There in the darkness we took in the wonder of all the falling stars. Some streaking all the way across the sky, coming so close we were sure that they landed in the water.

We would wake up in the middle of the night, grab our flashlights, and sneak back up into the cabin. The sound of water gently lapping against the pier and our padded footsteps echoing on the wooden slats are sounds that will stick with me forever.

The meteor shower falls on my birthday again, and I hear it’s going to be a good one this year.  Lately, whenever I sit out and look at the stars, it brings to mind the story of Abraham. God promised that his descendants would be as many as the stars. That’s us.

Each star in the sky represents a believer.

Which makes me ask the question – if I were a star in the night sky, what kind of star would I be?

Am I bright and shining? Or am I dim and distant?

Am I like a satellite? Dancing and darting around – maybe trying a bit too hard?

Or am I a shooting star? Fierce and fast and impactful?

Am I part of a constellation? Working with others to share a story?

I may not have answered my own question just yet, but there is one thing I know. Bright or barely flickering – shiny and shimmering – tired and dim – constellation or standing alone – we ALL have our role in the story.  Believers need to join together to share the light that burns within us. We are called to reach out to all who are watching from the cold, hard pier in the dark of night.

Then invite them to be part of The Story.

Psalm 147:4 He counts the stars and calls them all by name.

(Originally published August 8, 2018)