Do you ever forget to look up at the stars?

I mean really, look up?

I'm talking, stop dead in your tracks, drop what you’re doing, and look up at the phenomenon that appears above us every night when it's not covered by clouds.

I have always been amazed by the stars. As far back as I can remember; one of my favorite things has always been to look up. Family bonfires, summer nights, long nights in the barn, walking in to the house after taking the dog out. The stars are always right above me.

When you stop what you’re doing to take a few minutes to admire the masterpiece that God has handcrafted, piece by piece, it is breathtaking to take a second to sit back and realize just how BIG and beautiful this life is.

After long days at work, look up.

At the conclusion of a stressful day of classes, look up.

You just had your heart broken? Look up.

A family member just passed away expectantly, look up.

You don’t know how you’re going to pay your next bill? Look up.

When you lift your eyes to the God who delicately hung each and every single one of the stars above you, you can be reminded that with God, nothing is impossible.

I have been reminded of this numerous times, in seasons when life has seemed to be busy or extremely difficult, but all it ever takes is a glance at the stars, a few deep breaths, and the reassurance that God’s got this. He is right there with me through it all.

I specifically remember a night when I looked up at the stars and was taken aback by the magnificent view that I was experiencing. It was March 2014. I was on my first ever mission trip to the Dominican Republic and it was our last night there before we would head home the next morning. After briefly meeting with our youth group, our youth pastor encouraged us to find a spot around the place that we were staying at to journal some take-a-ways from this trip that we didn't ever want to forget.

As I searched for “my spot” to journal at, I wandered only a few feet away to a chair close by. It was a beautiful evening and I still remember the small breeze that came through the warm Dominican air. I began journaling down my thoughts, trying my best to write down every single detail, and as much as I could, of what I wanted to remember. As I jotted down every little thing, I looked up.

This was something that I often forgot to do, even while on our mission trip in the Dominican Republic.

But for some reason, I knew that I was supposed to look up. It was like God himself was telling me to simply look up. I know that the view that I was experiencing, seeing the stars above me, that was a view that God didn’t want me to miss out on and it was a view he wanted me to remember forever. I vividly remember taking a few minutes to really study the stars. I quickly wrote it in my journal, because this was a picture that I did not want to forget.

I believe that was God's way of reminding me just how large and beautiful this world is, even when tragedy surrounds me. I think that was God’s way of reminding me, that no matter where I may be, when I look up, to the sky, to the stars, and to the one who created me with the same hands that created those stars, I am reminded of home. While often times I was admiring the stars from my backyard, even thousands of miles away, I was able to see that beautiful view in an impoverished country that was surrounded in more troubles and trials than I could ever imagine myself. Even when we seem to be buried in hurt and pain, when the world around us seems to be a disaster, when you cast your eyes to the stars, you can be assured that God’s got you covered because you are His masterpiece. Sometimes you just have to be reminded by looking up.