Lovely Thing, The ...

 I love stars. I think that lying on the grass and looking at stars is one of the best childhood memories I have from my little hometown in the Nevada desert. I loved finding the North Star, then the Big and Little Dippers, Orion's Belt, and the Pleiades (in the proper season), And I can't forget the Milky Way, that swath of light that flowed from horizon to horizon, looking like an artist's glitter-filled paintbrush had just swept across the night sky. 

Even as an adult I love looking at the stars. I guess that is why I liked camping so much. Once away from city lights, I could once again see the diamond studded night sky of my childhood, a tapestry of God's gems which has been amazing and thrilling people since the dawn of creation. 

Lovely things, the stars. That is what I have always thought, at least until last night when my granddaughter tweeted this quote from Dr. Who on the popular TV show by the same name. It began,

"Lovely thing, the dark,..."

That statement really grabbed me.  For some reason, describing the dark as lovely made me do a double take right off the bat. The words lovely and dark seemed like a terrible pairing. Lovely and dark  didn't even make sense to me, but after all, I am not Dr. Who. What do I know?

I finally read past, "Lovely thing, the dark...," and read the rest of the quote. "...without it you couldn't see the stars." STARS!  At that point, I couldn't let the quote go. "Lovely thing, the dark...." "Lovely thing, the dark...." The more I considered the brilliance of that statement, the more wonderful it became, and full of deep spiritual truth.

As I considered the darkness I had gone through, with its anxieties, fears, and confusion, I also considered the stars that shined so brightly--stars that had been hidden by the day. There were friends who called, family who supported and encouraged, Bible studies, sermons, and praise songs that taught, enlightened and gave hope. Each one always had been in my life or been available to me, but it had taken the darkness to reveal them as they were meant to be--God's bright lights of blessing to help guide my way. 

I pray, Lord, that any future darkness that comes my way may be deemed to be as lovely as the stars of blessing it reveals. In the meantime, make me more aware of the lights of blessing surrounding me daily--glimpses of you. Help me recognize, acknowledge, and cherish them, especially when my busyness is shining too brightly for me to see them. Lord, let nothing outshine the brightest star of all, your SON.

"Lovely thing, the dark, without it you couldn't see the stars."   Dr. Who

Jan

Once, after I learned how to count beyond one-hundred, I attempted to count not only the stars in the sky, but in the Milky Way too. I got confused after one-thousand. 

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