Dancing below Stars

Have you ever wanted to just go outside at night and hold up your hands to the deep velvet sky, twinkling with lustrous little diamond specs and sway to the sound of the music in your head?

There are few things more beautiful than a sky full of sparkling stars.

The glory of God's creation is beyond measure. And do you know, that all these millions of beautiful orbs were described as if an afterthought in the Bible?

"God made two great lights -- the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars."

Can you believe that so little attention was paid them? Think, all these marvelous, exquisite, delightful additions to the universe... And "He made them also".

And then think of how much the Bible expounds upon the creation of man.

"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the bids of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures the move along the ground.' So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."

How much God loves us. He spent so much thought and care into creating us. Each and every one of us is dear to Him. And when we disobeyed and ignored Him, He sent HIS OWN SON to this broken and vile world, to DIE on a wooden cross, bearing the sins of EVERY person, so that we, His people, might spend eternity with Him.

The stars never disobeyed Him. They never turned their backs on Him. They never dissapointed Him, angered him, let Him down, made Him ache with sorrow. Yet it is not the stars that He goes on and on about. It is not for the stars He so carefully planned out history. It is not the stars that He laid down His life for. It is not the stars that He is preparing a place so magnicifent we cannot even IMAGINE it.

It makes me think. HARD. He could have given up on us so many times. He had absolutely NO reason to care for us. No reason to keep forgiving us and keep answering our prayers and keep searching after our wayward and wicked hearts.

Yet He did. He does.

Because He LOVES us. US!!!!

And it reminds me of this:

The things we work the hardest for, are the things that we will love the most.

And that is a precious thought.

This is the verse that always comes to mind when I contemplate His ways:

"For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that He may have mercy on them all.

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and

knowledge of God!

How unsearchable His judgments,

and His paths beyond tracing out!

"Who has known the mind of the Lord?

Or who has been His counselor?"

"Who has ever given to God,

that God should repay him?"

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all

things.

To Him be the glory forever! Amen."

                                                              Romans 11:32-36

It would be so easy to give up on life. Let's face it. Its not easy. But God created us to glorify Him. And in that we can have hope. In Him we can find the joy to live on. In Him, we can always say, "Life is good." In Him, we can always find the strength to admit yesterday, face at tomorrow, and enjoy today.

And that's what I think about when I go outside at night and dance under the stars.

(I took this pic of the moon a couple weeks ago. Isn't it extrodinary!)