Seeing the Stars
Published on 13 Feb 2007 · Filed in Personal · 340 words (estimated 2 minutes to read)I won’t go into all the details that led to my posting “Joy in the Morning?” other than to say it wasn’t (and isn’t) pleasant. It was a very difficult and very trying time, and while things aren’t completely over now, God did give me a different perspective on times like this.
Later that same evening (after I posted that message), I had to drive down to a local supermarket to pick up a few items. I had the radio turned to a local Christian radio station (as I almost always do), and this advertisement came on for Key Life Network, a Christian radio program. Specifically, it was one of these “You think about that” little spots that come on between songs. If you’ve listened to a Christian radio station, you’ve probably heard Steve Brown and Key Life and one of those little spots.
Anyway, I can’t remember exactly what he had to say that night (and I tried searching the Key Life web site but couldn’t find it), but the basic gist of the thought was that while going through the night is difficult, it is only at night that we can see the stars.
Wow…what a difference one phrase can make in your outlook. He’s right, of course, and God used him to remind me that there is always a purpose in His plan—we may not know what that purpose is, but rest assured there is a purpose. While I was in the darkness, waiting for the joy that comes in the morning, all I had to do was remember that some of God’s greatest blessings can only be seen at night. Some of God’s most beautiful creations can’t be seen during the light of day; only during the darkness of night. And while they don’t take away the darkness, the stars that God created remind us that we aren’t alone—even in the darkness.
For what it’s worth, try to keep that in mind next time you are in a time of spiritual darkness. I know I will.