Lent Reflection: Star Gazing (Psalm 19)

“The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge.” Psalm 19:1-2

At the end of summer, or maybe really the middle of fall, my son and I dragged our rather large air mattress out onto the front porch and pumped it completely full.  With great anticipation, by my son, it was placed on the lawn where we had the best view of the stars. I have to admit that I wasn’t exactly overwhelmed with excitement about spending the night out of my warm bed.  I was pretty sure I wouldn’t get much sleep, but had decided to take one for the team so to speak.

We snuggled down on top in sleeping bags with extra blankets and pillows.  The goal was to view the firmament, all the stars!  My lack of knowledge about constellations was quickly apparent in the face of my son’s many questions, but our main goal, enjoyment of the night sky, was achieved.  It even felt a bit wasteful when faced with all this beauty, to finally fall asleep.  I woke at some point in the night with a gentle breeze blowing across my face.  The stars were still there and remained as I drifted off again.

In the morning, I knew without a doubt that I had slept on an air mattress and not a bed.  But I remain thankful for my son’s insistence that we spend the night under the stars.  It is one of my most cherished memories from 2020.

Have you ever let go of something and been surprised by the new something that takes its place?  Do you have cherished memories from 2020, despite the hardship it brought?

Certainly, God, the heavens are telling of your glory.  Thank you!

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