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Thursday, June 21, 2012

Embracing the Dark


Shakespeare, Galileo, Milton, Kepler, David; each wrote of the stars. Some in verse, some in science - all in wonder. However numerous their mentions, have you noticed stars never grow cliche'?

Scientifically speaking, we know these orbs are only the gaseous dustballs of the universe with no potential to support human life, and yet staring at them sends us into a speechless stupor. Lord Byron, a poet rarely caught without a quip, could not begin to describe them: "Ye stars! Which are the poetry of heaven!"

Unfortunately for me, my thoughts seldom reach as high as the heavens. My thoughts tend to stick to the solid, predictable and unoffending ground.

What do I do with this extra time I now have since I've graduated? What if the college doesn't accept my SAT scores? Have I picked the right degree? Do I take a job? Where? When? Am I doing this right? Will God allow me to feel His Presence or must I trust blindly? Must I continue fumbling in the dark, groping for a light switch?

But when the lights are off, the stars are easier to see. Galileo admitted, "I've loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night." Maybe that's the wiser perspective.

Isaiah wanted us to adopt this view when he cried, "Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning?" Finger pointed to the sky, the wizened prophet must have shouted, "Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing." (Isaiah 40:21, 26)

When attempting to figure out my future, I used to feel stuck in the dark; but I'm now of the opinion that "in the dark" should no longer be a synonym for ignorance and confusion. Instead, it's a doorway into clarity. In the absence of man-made lamps, which illuminate at my command, I'm powerless. I can't trust myself. Reflection is all I have to do.

And so I count the stars and laugh at my smallness; remembering that the God who leads constellations through infinity can guide me, too.

(Photo courtesy: Pinterest)

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