To be perfectly honest, it probably started when I was in the seventh grade, when Switchfoot released their album Nothing Is Sound with the single entitled "Stars."
No wait, scratch that. It started with The Lion King. That was when I first started to see stars as a representation of infinity, as pinpricks of the glory and beauty of heaven peeking through the dark blanket of night.
Stars are, to me, the perfect conglomerate of divinity, eternity, adventure, opportunity, constancy, and direction.
I love how when I look at them, I feel close to heaven, humbled because of how small I feel, but noble because I am powerfully reminded that I'm important to my Heavenly Father, that even with the whole wide universe under His command, He actually knows me and cares about me and makes sure I get to my flight on time and that I can figure out how to do my math homework before it's due. I love how the stars seem to go on forever, how I can only see a few of them but yet I know that there are more of them, stretching outward for an infinity, and none of it is out of God's reach, power, or understanding.
I love how they always seem to beckon me closer, reminding me that there is all this space out there, untouched, unseen, waiting for someone who has enough courage to follow her dreams and fling herself out there. There is always a chance to do something no one else can do, something only you can accomplish, and each one of us has the power to create our own infinity, to make an enormous difference in the world, in the whole universe, in the eyes of God.
I love the North Star. Even when all the constellations around it spin and change and fade, that star steadfastly points north, not affected in any way by the fluctuations and variations around it. Stars are a reminder that Heavenly Father is aware of us, that He is a North Star for us to follow, and He will unfailingly guide us home to Him. With the gospel, we are never left groundless in the chaos and uncertainty of the world, and I love that.
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But what I really want to talk about is the name of my blog, the phrase "show me the stars."
Because stars are beautiful; they are magnificent and incredible; they offer so much from which we can learn.
But sometimes it's cloudy, or dark, or stormy, or we're tired, and we just can't see the stars. We can't see the infinite opportunities that lie ahead of us; we're blind to our Heavenly Father's unfailing and unflinching love for us; we can't find direction because nothing we can see is sound or sure.
And that's when we need someone or something to "show us the stars." It can be a testimony borne to us, a caring friend who takes the time to listen, just a simple smile from a passerby, a scripture, a heartfelt prayer. All at once in that moment the clouds part, the storm blows past, and we can see with unparalleled clarity the piercing beauty of the stars.
So I invite you to join me in my journey to not only see the stars more consistently and more clearly, but to show the stars to those who struggle to fine them in the darkness.
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