It's hard not to be drawn to shooting stars.
I saw a shooting star this morning on my drive out to run at the lake. It was pretty awesome, because I'm fairly certain that was the first shooting star I've ever seen in real life.
I don't really believe that whatever wish you make on shooting stars will come true, but I went ahead and made one, anyway—just for fun and because it's what Disney would tell me to do.
And I listen to Disney, of course.
As I continued to drive, I started to think (because what else are you going to do at 4-something in the morning?), and it occurred to me just how quickly that star came and went from my life. It seriously happened so fast. And, as crazy as it may sound, I think shooting stars are a lot like some people we encounter in our lives.
There are some individuals who come and go from our lives like shooting stars, yet they still manage to impact us somehow. They are mysterious. They are fleeting. They are breathtaking. They leave us wishing. They put smiles on our faces. They touch us and cause us to open our eyes just a little bit more, waiting with anticipation to see another shooting star blast across the sky.
I started thinking about some shooting stars who have impacted me lately. For starters, there was the old man in the Market Street parking lot who came up to me and told me he appreciated the fact that I was wearing a long skirt, because there are just "too many floozies out there nowadays." He made me feel a bit Amish with my skirt that went down to my ankles. But, at the same time, he caused me to think about the clothes I wear, and I will admit that his words pop into my head whenever I wear skirts now. He was a shooting star.
Then there was the little girl with her dad in front of me in the checkout line at Target. She looked up at him with her adorable big blue eyes and said, "Daddy, I love you forever. I'm so glad Jesus gave you to me." It was so innocent and so precious. It made me think about all the times when I wasn't so loving to my own dad—all those times when I wasn't quite thanking the Lord for good ol' Skipper. I called my dad on my way out of the store and pretended like I had something to ask him, but I was really just calling because I was thankful that Jesus gave him to me. That little girl was a shooting star.
I saw two little boys (I'm assuming they are brothers) sitting on a curb to cheer on their dad at a race recently. They were both eating muffins, and the smaller one dropped his on the ground. He got this terribly sad look on his face, and I thought we were about to have a crying toddler situation. Instead, after thinking about it for a second, the older child took one bite of his muffin, then handed the rest to his brother and said, "Here, Tucker, I'm not very hungry, anyway." (I love that he took a bite first, though—precious.) I thought about that the next day when I was in my grad class, and we were selecting topics for this in-class presentation we had to do at the end of the class that day. I already knew the topic I wanted, but there was another woman in my class who wanted the same thing. The teacher came to me first, and I was about to say that topic, but the image of the little boy with the blueberry muffin popped into my head, and I chose a different topic. That young child was a shooting star.
Last Sunday, some of the teenagers at my church led worship for us. It was incredible to see so many students passionately praising the Lord and throwing their hands up in the air to worship Him. I honestly think it made members of the congregation sing more loudly and more boldly. It made me smile to see those kids up there singing their hearts out for Jesus. The sky was full of shooting stars that morning.
Shooting stars are rare, and they fly through your life when you don't expect them. Sure, you can wish on stars all you want, and those wishes may or may not happen (though it doesn't have anything to do with the star), but those shooting stars are so special. They are beautiful. They are unique. They are exciting. They leave you eager for more.
What's even more exciting is that you may be someone's shooting star at any moment and not even know it.
Let it shine.
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