Rejoicing with the stars

   "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims His handiwork.  Day to day pours out speech, and nights to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard." (Ps.19:1-2)  
     The music of heaven singing to the glory of the Creator.  When God spoke the cosmos into being, the world itself rejoiced: "... the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy." (Job 38:7)  What's my excuse?
     I awoke early yesterday morning feeling weary and worn...and starting to veer towards self-pity.   Soldiering through the early morning, it wasn't until I paused long enough to remove my gaze from myself and move it to the only place where it ever should rest-upon the Almighty--that everything changed.  Sometimes we need a little kick in the pants--maybe a bracing splash of Gospel sanity--to remind ourselves we're staring at the wrong object.  Stare at God, discover joy and peace.  Stare at anything else, descend into frustration and restlessness.
     As I read many years ago--"Gaze at God; glance at all else."
     Time to choose to rejoice in Him rather than rehearse our woes.  Time to start the day with praising the Creator and Redeemer rather than puttering busily about with our to-list.  One leads to joy and a renewed, refreshed heart; the other to grumpiness, irritation, and weariness.
      God had already refocused my heart when I looked outside the kitchen door while my youngest son and I hustled to get him ready for school--and God had painted the sky for us in pinks and blues.  O my.  It reminded me of something I read the just other day: "At least once a day I shall look steadily up at the sky and remember that I, a consciousness with a conscience, am on a planet traveling in space with wonderfully mysterious things above and about me."
     Sometimes we just need to reminded of how small we are and how big God is...and yet, how much He loves us.  He's not just Creator...He's our Redeemer.  Incredible.
     Thank You, Father, for the astounding wonders of Your creation...and for the greater wonder of Your gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.  Open our eyes, Father.  Open our hearts.  Help us to give the heavens and the stars a run for their money when it comes to worshipping and rejoicing in You!  To God be the glory.