(By Pam Benedict) As a family this Christmas, we’ve been reading the “Joy to the World” daily devotionals by John Piper, along with many within our Bethany family.  We’ve missed days, but are pressing on.  A few days ago, after reading, we were discussing why the wisemen saw the star while no one else seemed to recognize it.

Justin answered, “Because they were looking for it.”

It was a profound “Ah ha!” moment for me.

Whether the unusually bright light was from two planets aligning, or from a star about to go super nova, or from a brand-new phenomenon that God created specially to announce the birth of His Son, one thing is certain.  Everyone who looked up could see it.

Sometimes we miss seeing the stars because our eyes are on every day, routine tasks.  Steve & I were driving to Penn Cinemas to watch The Chosen Christmas special last week.  As I was gazing out the window watching the Christmas lights & fields pass by, I looked up at the stars just in time to see a meteor flash by.  Excitedly I exclaimed, “OH!! A shooting star!”  Steve of course didn’t see it because he was rightly concentrating on the road in front of him.

Sometimes we miss the stars because we don’t want to take the time.  The same night that I had seen the meteor, Justin knocked on our bedroom door about 11 PM.  Steve had just fallen asleep, and I was quietly reading with just a small light.  Justin had found out that the Geminid meteor shower was that night and wanted to know if I would drive up to Welsh mountain and watch it with him.  Watching the Perseids shower in August is a tradition for he & I.  However, laying on a blanket on the ground for an hour in 75-degree weather is a whole different than being outside for an hour in December in 30-degree weather (especially after you’re already in your jammies in a warm bed!).  I wished him well and scooted back to my comfy covers.  The next morning, he shared how beautiful it was.

Our friend Mary McCormack who went home to be with Jesus in November chose to look for God’s presence everywhere she went.  Any time she saw a heart shape in nature she reminded herself of how much God loved her and rejoiced that it was a gift directly from Him.  At her memorial service reception, her family had printed dozens of Facebook posts where she had taken pictures of heart shaped rocks, heart shaped clouds, heart shaped seashells and put them on the tables.  On one she wrote, “Overwhelmed with His Over-the-Top Love for me during my walk this evening!”

This Christmas season let’s look up at the stars and remember how God fulfilled his promise to Abraham through Jesus.  Let’s ponder how the wisemen considered the journey of hundreds of miles through the dessert & wilderness worth their effort to worship the newborn King. And let’s keep our eyes open to every piece of nature that points to our Great Creator and Savior and thank Him for his sacrificial love for us.  May we worship him and share that good news with everyone around us.