I've Gone Country A blog about a city girl learning a whole new world

The other day I had heard that it was going to be a great time to see a beautiful display of stars.  I made a mental note to be sure to take a look that evening.  The day progressed and….well….”the ole brain ain’t what it used to be”…. I forgot.  Around 8:00 that night I was puttering around in the kitchen and Billy went to the car to get something.  He came rushing back into the house and said…grab some coveralls and come see this!

If he says coveralls…then he thinks its cold….if Billy thinks it is cold….then it IS cold.  It dawned on me what the excitement was all about….. the stars.  I turned the stove off, hurried to the closet for coveralls….rustled through the drawers to find gloves.  Oh…wait…maybe I should get an extra sweater to wear under the coveralls.  It was about that time that Billy came back in and said….what in the world is taking so long?  He quickly grabbed a hat for each of us and out the door we went.  We loaded up on the golf cart and took a ride to the lake.  It was dark there…we were away from the street lights and the glow of any city lights.  We were pretty sure we would have a good view.

We unloaded from the cart, tilted our heads to the great big sky, waited and watched.  The stars were numerous and bright.  In just a matter of minutes I saw a streak of light shoot across the sky.  It was so fast I couldn’t even point to it before it was gone.   This happened several more times.  We counted each one as we spotted them.  We never could tell the other one where to look, before it would disappear.  But inevitably…. we would try.   Funny….the cold wasn’t a problem…seems that paled in comparison to the event unfolding.

I had only seen one shooting star before this night.   Billy and I had gone out for a boat ride, a date, the second time we had ever gone out together.  Over 18 years ago. We went to a cave opening… by water… and watched the bats make their great exit at dusk.  As we were leaving we came up on someone who had engine trouble…so we towed their boat back.   It became very dark….there were no city lights, no other distractions.  All that to say that it was dark…..and we were going slow……..so we had a lot of time to talk and star gaze.  It was then….on that date….that I saw my very first shooting star.  I remember there seemed to be a million and one stars in the sky that night.  I thought it was amazing that I just so happened to be looking in the right direction… at the right time… to see it.

I wonder how many times there had been some, but I never, ever saw them…..in all those previous years of  my life.  I just never really looked for them.  Too busy with other things that surrounded me…..distractions….and no real desire to look.

I went to see our granddaughter Layla  in her Christmas program last week.  I didn’t know that she was a “star”….in more than one way that day.  Of course she in turn made me beam as she reached through the only opening she had…at her face…waved her little hand and said…..hey ME ME!!!…when she spotted me in the crowd.

There she is…with the shepherds.

As I looked as those precious stars and adorable shepherds….I thought about ” that”  night.  The night that Jesus was born.  I am pretty sure the shepherds were used to seeing a million and one stars in the sky…night after night.  I wonder if they happened to be talking and actually star gazing…on that particular night.   Or was it only after an Angel of the Lord came to them …when the Glory of the Lord shone round about them…..that they really noticed all the stars that were in the sky.

And what about the special star that was set in the sky…to show the wise men where they could find Jesus.  It must have been remarkable…surely others saw it….wonder why others didn’t come.  Maybe they weren’t looking for anything special or were too busy with their surroundings to notice anything really different.  Or just didn’t care to look.

It was pretty precious seeing all these little ones portraying the Christmas story.  These angels were sweetly singing.

Scriptures tell us….the heavenly host appeared with the angel praising God and saying “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men”.   Now that is remarkable.  Can you even imagine.  It says that the shepherds were afraid.  I can certainly understand why.  Then they were told not to be afraid….that a Savior was born that day…and where they could find him.

I think that is pretty neat….because they didn’t let fear stop them.  Even the fear of what others would think of them….they just went….. they searched for Him.  Think about trying to explain all that to someone else.

Layla was one of the stars near the stable….but not the one directly behind it.

Before the children exited the stage…I noticed Layla quickly ran over to take a good look at baby Jesus….laying in the manger.

I suppose curiosity got the best of her.

It reminded me of the first night I ever saw a shooting star.  I once again felt fortunate.  Fortunate that I just happened to be looking at the right time….to see this “precious star”….looking for Jesus.  It melted my heart that she just had to go see Him….for herself.

That is exactly what the shepherds did.  Scriptures tell us that …as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.

And they came with haste, and found Mary, Joseph and the babe lying in a manger.  Just as they had been told.

A few weeks ago…I helped Layla hang a few ornaments on the tree at their house.  She could hardly wait until it was time to put on the star . Finally, it was time.  Her father lifted her up onto his shoulders… she eagerly… but carefully placed the star on the very top of their Christmas tree.

I helped secure it and took that time to explain what the star symbolized.  I couldn’t tell if she fully understood.

So the other day when I saw her in her costume, I thought it was really neat that she was able to play the part of a star.  She was able to hear the good news of our Savior’s birth….and go check out for herself….what was in that manger.

I think telling others about Jesus is a lot like Billy and I trying to tell each other about the beauty of the shooting star.  It is impossible to fully explain.  I know I had to do like the shepherds did. I had to go….and see for myself what the Lord has made known to us…..through His Word.    I let curiosity get the best of me.

I started searching the scriptures..I saw things for the very first time….things that were remarkable.

Sometimes God shows me things when I’m not really even looking for them….but, I really see amazing things when I truly search… by studying His Word.  I have to focus on Him…and not let the distractions of things around me interfere.

God reveals himself to each of us even today…if we take time….. to look.

Just as He revealed Himself so many years ago.

Remarkable!

Jeremiah 29:13

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.