Pinpricks of Glory

October 20, 2017

At 6:00 am, the stars were popping out of the blackness, pinpoints of light dotting the sky with their pointillist beauty. Thousands of years ago the psalmist sang, “When I consider the heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have ordained; what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man, that you visit him?” Elsewhere he asserts that “The heavens declare the glory of God.” That glory was on full display this morning.

There may be many benefits of living in the city, but one of the liabilities is the light pollution that prevents many moderns from seeing the stars as the ancients saw them. Walking out the front door this morning, once the streetlight was hidden behind the big Norway spruce, I got a glimpse of that ancient glory, and it was majestic!

Later in the day, he stormed into the place of business where I sat, waiting for the work to be done on my truck. He appeared about my age, with a shaggy mane of snow-white hair and beard to match, but he was definitely not jolly old St. Nick. The shop hadn’t done the job the way he wanted it done, and he didn’t miss too many words in his profanity dictionary letting the receptionist know what he thought. I’m not sure he could afford losing the piece of his mind he was giving her before turning his sights on the owner. He was met with undeserved grace. It’s sad for someone to have lived so long and not learned that kindness usually gets you farther than anger. The receptionist and I talked. It’s sadly, not an uncommon occurrence.

This evening, we drove into our driveway to be greeted by the Christmas lights I had hung earlier and set on a timer. After having had lunch with Alex and Emmanuel, and having cheered on three granddaughters in their final regular swim meet of the year, seeing the lights made her squeal like a little kid on Christmas morning. Linda is easy to please. 

It was an Oreo day, blessings on each end, with a sad reminder of our fallen humanity in the middle. The good is all around us, waiting to be noticed, if we only have eyes to see. My sight is dimmer than I would like, but the more we live in the Light, the better we see. Even those pinpricks of starlight bear twinkling testimony to God’s glory, for which I give thanks this evening.