I love shooting stars. They feel magical. Seeing one is like seeing a hidden treasure in the sky. In the blink of an eye, the magic comes and goes. You may have been the only person in the world to see the magic. There's something that feels so special about shooting stars to me.
When I was a kid, I used to wish on shooting stars. Part of me knew it was just a wish and there was no real magic attached to it, but I was also the kid who believed in Santa until I was 12 so... I was hanging onto hope. I wanted so bad to believe in the magic.
Finding out that shooting stars were more equivalent to space trash than a star was a huge letdown. Just chunks of rock and dust hitting the atmosphere and burning up. I couldn't go looking for a star embedded in the earth. Light didn't really fall from the sky. There was no magic. No treasure. Those wishes were never coming true.
Sometimes, I think we treat hope like a shooting star. We put our hope in fleeting things. They come and go in the blink of an eye. Things that seem so magical, but in reality, most of the time it's just space trash - a meteor - in comparison to a real star.
For instance, this morning I had a revelatory experience. During my quiet time (which is laying in bed with one eye open, reading my devotional, hoping my children don't know I'm awake yet), God showed me some real truth. I've been putting my hope in space trash instead of the star. I've been putting my hope in a new house, the next step in life, moving forward in my career. If we could just get out of debt, I would feel so much better. If we could just get into that house, things would be so much easier. If I could just get this job, I wouldn't feel so stuck.
All of that stuff is space trash. Those things are fleeting. They are beautiful, but so so temporary. The Lord showed me that in those areas, I was hoping for something instead of someone. I was hoping for fulfillment in accomplishments or acquired things instead of finding fulfillment in Him, regardless if we get that house, I make that career move, we get out of debt.
Don't get me wrong, those are all good things to hope FOR, but not to put hope IN. I had subconsciously begun to believe that in acquiring those things, I would find happiness. I would be content. I would be fulfilled. Reality check: I've had those things before and I was still searching for the next thing. Something else to fill a hole.
It seems so "following Jesus 101", but if we aren't careful, we can so easily fall back into that mindset without even realizing it. Putting my hope in Jesus, which I think means giving my hope to Him to hold and manage, gives me peace no matter where I'm at in life. Putting my hope in Jesus' hands gives me the ability to enjoy and love the stage of life I'm in without feeling rushed to get to the next level. My hope placed in Jesus means I have the presence of mind to see all He wants me to see, learn what He is teaching, love more easily, trust more fully, and be filled with joy and contentment.
So, friend, is your hope in space trash granting your wishes or our eternal star, giver of light and life, Jesus? Is your hope in acquiring certain items, gaining status, a specific image, or accomplishing goals or have you placed your hope firmly in the hands of Christ to hold and manage?
I have some work to do.
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