Stars
(This week’s piece was written by my son, Mark. Mark and his wife, Beth, live with their one year old daughter near Boulder, CO. These are the fine folks who delivered a baby, Milena, on MY birthday a year ago. I believe Mark has developed into a fine writer over the years he’s written a column called “Missing The Mark” for our Meyer Family Ministries Purple Paper. If you want to respond, reflect, explain, or illucidate this piece, send your E-mail through me, papaspipeline@gmail.com. Relax and enjoy!)
I like to ride my bicycle. Sometimes I use it to commute to work. Other times I just ride for the fun of it. Recently, I went for an evening ride, and ended up heading home after dark. This particular night was crystal clear, and the stars were visible in abundance. I was, however, riding on a somewhat narrow two-lane road, with a moderate amount of car traffic. I had a light and reflectors, of course, but it was still not something to be taken lightly.
You don’t have to be a bicycle expert to know that riding a bike at night in traffic and stargazing don’t mix all that well. As I mentioned, it was indeed a beautiful, clear night. I wanted to get home, and I wanted to be safe, but I also wanted to look at the amazing display in the heavens. Initially, of course, I tried to do all of the above at once. I would ride very carefully, then wait for a break in the traffic to sneak a peak up at the stars. I then realized, quite powerfully, that this was how I tended to approach my walk with God. I wanted to keep busy doing all my urgent tasks, and just shoot a quick prayer up now and then. Sometimes, I just couldn’t afford to be distracted from my “important” work to really appreciate the majesty and wonder of an approachable God.
I quickly came to the conclusion that the proper way to enjoy the stars was to stop pedalling, pull over, and just soak it all in. I did just that. After about thirty minutes of losing myself in the cosmos, I was able to ride on home. By then, however, I was able to appreciate the night sky as part of the overall experience, rather than as a distraction.
I think that this might be a good model for my Christian walk. I need to take the time to truly commune with God, with minimal distraction. Then, as I go about my life, God can be an integral part instead of an interruption. I think God wants to relate to us in both the quiet and the busy times. Unlike the distant, impressive stars, God wants to be appreciated all the time, and even enjoys appreciating us back!
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