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There are two experiences from the past week that relate to the idea of "Look Up!" (which refers to a song lyric from my childhood, but I'll get to that...)
Yesterday I was walking along Central Park West: It's the day before the 4th of July and there are a million tourists in New York City. One of them was a little girl on a bike. It has a bell on it, which she rings as she runs her handle bar into my leg from behind. A second after that, her father says, "Allie, pay attention!"
Despite by bruised leg, it was a good remind of the need we have to "Look Up!" in this world. And it reminded me of a song my dad used to play all the time when I was a child:
This idea was also driven home while I was volunteering as a group captain for Youth Conference (where my church takes the 14-18 year olds on a faith promoting trip each summer). The youth love to leave New York City and have a chance to see other places. We took them to a retreat in Lancaster Pennsylvania where there were stars and campfires and ziplines and fresh air and no tall buildings. It was awesome.
On the second day, in one of the classes, the teacher asked if anyone had seen the stars the night before. Several youth excitedly chattered about how many there were and how inspiring it was to see them. The teacher went on to compare the feeling of seeing all those stars to feeling God's love, knowing He is there in our lives, and using that as a barometer. Out in Lanchaster we could see countless stars. This has always helped me feel closer to God - seeing His creations, trying to wrap my mind around all that He is capable of - while still being aware of us each individually, it is truly awe inspiring.
In contrast, the teacher asked how many stars we can see while we're in NYC. The answers: "I've seen three one time." and "I think the 'stars' we see in the city are actually planets, right?"
The analogy/ challenge the teacher then gave is something I've been thinking about since: If we feel like our closeness to God is more like only seeing two or three stars (or planets :) in NYC, we should ask to feel the full majesty of His love for us. He's our Father, He wants us to know and love Him. He wants us to feel His love. And all we have to do is "Look up!" or in other words, get on our knees, close our eyes, bow our heads, and ask - He will answer.
Yesterday I was walking along Central Park West: It's the day before the 4th of July and there are a million tourists in New York City. One of them was a little girl on a bike. It has a bell on it, which she rings as she runs her handle bar into my leg from behind. A second after that, her father says, "Allie, pay attention!"
Despite by bruised leg, it was a good remind of the need we have to "Look Up!" in this world. And it reminded me of a song my dad used to play all the time when I was a child:
Look up! Look up!
The stars in the heavens cry out!
Look up! Look up!
Your course does not lie on the earth or the sea,
it lies in the heavens above;
look up! Look up!
Look up by Stephen Kapp Perry
This idea was also driven home while I was volunteering as a group captain for Youth Conference (where my church takes the 14-18 year olds on a faith promoting trip each summer). The youth love to leave New York City and have a chance to see other places. We took them to a retreat in Lancaster Pennsylvania where there were stars and campfires and ziplines and fresh air and no tall buildings. It was awesome.
On the second day, in one of the classes, the teacher asked if anyone had seen the stars the night before. Several youth excitedly chattered about how many there were and how inspiring it was to see them. The teacher went on to compare the feeling of seeing all those stars to feeling God's love, knowing He is there in our lives, and using that as a barometer. Out in Lanchaster we could see countless stars. This has always helped me feel closer to God - seeing His creations, trying to wrap my mind around all that He is capable of - while still being aware of us each individually, it is truly awe inspiring.
In contrast, the teacher asked how many stars we can see while we're in NYC. The answers: "I've seen three one time." and "I think the 'stars' we see in the city are actually planets, right?"
The analogy/ challenge the teacher then gave is something I've been thinking about since: If we feel like our closeness to God is more like only seeing two or three stars (or planets :) in NYC, we should ask to feel the full majesty of His love for us. He's our Father, He wants us to know and love Him. He wants us to feel His love. And all we have to do is "Look up!" or in other words, get on our knees, close our eyes, bow our heads, and ask - He will answer.
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