A faint glow on the horizon was all that remained to bid farewell to the sun that had so recently lit the sky. What couldn't be seen was illuminated by the cheerful, excited chatter of the group of fifth grade students gathered for an evening of stargazing. The telescopes were fixed on Jupiter and the four moons visible around it. Kids and parents took turns looking through the viewfinder and exclaiming over things they had never seen before with their own eyes.
As the sky grew darker, the stars began to appear. Soon the teacher was pointing out the Big Dipper, Polaris, Cassiopeia, and other constellations the class has been studying but which were unrecognized by this mom. My ignorance brought to mind the show Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader. These kids are learning information that was once also within my grasp but has since faded from my mind as surely as the sun's last light tonight.
Our amateur astronomer, Mr. O, took out his green laser light and began pointing out constellations and star clusters. I was pleased to be able to pick things out now, and my third grader who had tagged along was also squealing with delight. Mr. O shared interesting tidbits of information as well as stories about the constellations.
He pointed out one spot in the night sky about the size of a dime. At one time it was thought to be completely black, but Hubble has sent back photographs of that area revealing hundreds of thousands of galaxies. He showed us a faint star, in actuality so enormous that if it were located in the same point as our sun, its outer edge would extend past Jupiter. An orbiting satellite caught the sun's rays and shimmered its spectacular light, visible for a few brief seconds.
My son goes to a public school, so although both the teacher and astronomer are Christians, no specific mention was made of God. Yet He was constantly in my thoughts as I stood breathlessly gaping at the enormity of the universe He has created. I felt smaller somehow, and God much bigger, putting things closer to their proper perspective.
Isaiah 40:26 says, "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." The number of stars are countless. Last night I felt I stood and gazed on infinity. How great is God?
This morning in my quiet time I read John 10:3-5 and 27-29, "...the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. But they will never follow a stranger...My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand."
As vast and timeless as the universe appears to our eyes, you might think God would be too occupied to pay attention to our little corner. Yet the Bible reveals that we not only have God's attention, but He entered into time through His Son and spoke our names as that of a loving shepherd to His sheep.
(This post is my response to a creative stretch challenge given by my friend Erin. Click here to find out more about her book club and here to see her creativity shine through her writing.)
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