Today I find myself still stuck on the stars, after writing about them in my last post. Stars are mysterious, magical, fantastical points of light in our night sky. Van Gogh painted them, the Wise Men followed one, and Jiminy Cricket tells us in song that we can “wish upon a star, makes no difference who we are.” Now other songs are playing in my mind, “Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket, save it for a rainy day” and probably the first star song I ever learned – “twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky.”

People have been wondering about, writing about, wishing upon, watching and following the stars since time began. Astronomers study them and Astrologers use them to make predictions. Today, it occurs to me that in our current culture, people don’t just want to write about and sing about the stars, they want to be a star. We live in a starstruck culture. People are obsessed with movie stars, rock stars, sports stars, superstars of any kind. Everyone wants to be a star nowadays. Maybe that’s because we want to be known and we want to know we matter. We believe being a star is the only way we can be known and know that we have value.

Unfortunately, in our culture, being a star doesn’t seem to satisfy those that achieve this status. They too often remain unhappy and continually searching for the validation that we all desire as human beings. Guess they are looking in the wrong place for what they so desperately desire – recognition and validation. Oh, to be a star! We know that God calls every star by name. (Psalm 147:4) But God also knows our names. We are each one a star in our own right to God, our Heavenly Father and Creator!

Isn’t that great news? We are already stars in God’s universe, which means we are known and have infinite value. Psalm 8 explains,

“When I consider 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, the son of man that You care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of Your hands; You put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.” (Psalm 8:3-8)

God “crowned us with glory and honor” as those He created in His image. For all of us aspiring to be stars in our culture these next words might prove particularly illuminating. (pun intended)

“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life – in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.” (Philippians 2:14-16)

So, I can shine like a star in the universe by holding out the word of life and – there’s something else I must do – “do everything without complaining or arguing,” Ok, so no one said being a star was easy. Being a star is hard work, but God created you and me to be stars of light in this dark world. That’s our job. He said, “You are the light of the world. . . . let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)

Just as God’s stars in heaven light up the darkness of the night sky, we as God’s stars here on earth, are to light up our dark world wherever He has put us. In this starstruck, starsearch world, we are points of light, called to shine brightly, so that – just as the star-studded constellations in the night sky help travelers find their way home – your starlight and my starlight will help others find their way to God.

That’s the true purpose of a star – not to be admired by others – but to shine our God given light into the darkness, sharing the light of Christ with everyone. Just as God created stars to be light in the night – we, as God’s stars, are created to be His light in His world!

“He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.” (Genesis 1:16-18)

sincerely, Grace Day