Metaphors for Meteors




For the past month or so Don and I have taken to sitting outside at night. Each evening we get Marla to bed, grab the baby monitor, and head out to sit in the evening air. It’s been good for us. We study the stars and talk about our day, the kids, and life. Sam’s been a little concerned that we’re spending so much time outside… “What are you guys doing out there?” Now that the rain from the past few weeks has finally stopped, the nights have been clear and comfortable, and we’ve been spending more and more time looking up at the heavens, even taking out the telescope one night to see things a bit more clearly.


Some nights I venture out alone if Don’s working. I get such peace from observing God’s handiwork. There is an overwhelming sense of rightness that envelops me. On occasion, a meteor will race across the sky. I saw one again two nights ago and wondered who else might have noted its passing? It moved so quickly that I could have missed it if I’d not been gazing upward.

Life is that way, isn’t it? Things are happening all around us-- seen and unseen. There are moments of clarity when we manage to catch an event or revelation, but often they’re missed in the busyness of our lives. I’m learning to appreciate the wonders that surround me daily, trying to stop more often and reflect on what I’ve been shown. Little epiphanies unfold before me, and I realize that each one is like a meteor that blazes across the sky, unseen unless one is watching and aware. There is a beauty to each one that makes me marvel once again at the greatness of God. The epiphanies of life seem much the same to me, pointing ever to the creator and his sovereignty over all of life.

The meteors have become metaphors for the unexpected revelations in my life, reminding me of the blessings found in taking the time to look for them. Open my eyes, Lord.