Last month, I was able to go Young Life camp in Georgia with a group of some wonderful high school girls who I’ve been friends with for the past three years. It was a fun-filled and packed weekend with lots of games, incredible food, and meaningful conversations in the midst of it. On the last night, we were given the opportunity to have ‘star time’ where we sat outside in silence for 15-20 minutes and were able to think or pray or just sit there. I love this time because I am able to take a break from the craziness of the weekend (and life) and really focus on the Lord, all while laying on my back gazing in awe at the millions of stars above me.
What comes naturally to me when I take in the beauty of creation is giving thanks and praising God – it blows me away. So that’s how I began my time that night, thanking Him for loving me enough that He gave me the sky filled with stars to look at, and that even though I am so small in comparison, He still knows me and loves me. I often get so caught up in the chaos that comes with each day that I forget to take the time to be thankful and to appreciate the beauty that is all around me daily.
I then spent some time reflecting on the weekend – on the messages we heard, the conversations we had, the activities we did, and just how much each of the girls I was there with mean to me. They are so wonderful and I am so thankful that I have been able to be a part of their lives starting three years ago and hopefully continuing for years to come (y’all aren’t getting rid of me!). I see so much beauty and potential and life in them, and I so much want what is best for them and for them to know how valued and loved they are. It was really special getting to pray for them while being at camp together. They rock.
Often I forget how important and powerful it is to just sit in God’s presence in silence, listening as opposed to continually talking, and taking the time to hear what He may be saying. So that’s how I spent the remainder of my time. And during this time, I saw a shooting star! It wasn’t a super ‘great’ or big shooting star (though when you think about it they are all amazing), so I immediately began scanning the sky more eagerly in hopes of finding a really awesome one. Now, one thing about me is that I love shooting stars, and I have seen dozens of them in my life – big and small. So as I lay there, searching for a ‘better’ shooting star because I wasn’t content with just seeing one in general, or with the fact that I’ve already seen some really incredible shooting stars before, I realized that’s how I’ve been with life recently. I’ve been searching for what’s next, for something bigger and better than what I already have, even though where I’m at is amazing and just being alive is a gift. Instead of being content with where I am and what the Lord is doing now, I’ve been trying to get to something more. Graduation? The World Race? A job? Marriage? Then what?? I will keep seeking and searching and never be satisfied if this is how I choose to live.
But I don’t wanna live like that. I want to enjoy where I’m presently at and embrace each moment I am in with all the people I’m with. I want to learn from Paul’s teachings in Philippians to be content in every situation, because I can do all things through Christ. This is such a beautiful life that I get to live, and I want to enjoy every moment of it – whether I’m stuck doing school all day or hanging out with friends at the lake.
I don’t want to miss a second of what the Lord has in store, and with the World Race approaching and a lot of my focus on that, I am thankful for Him reminding me through a shooting star that He is doing big things right here, right now, and that’s where I need to be. He’ll take care of the rest.
