Starstruck

In high school, I had a plan for my life, and I didn’t want anything to get
in the way. I loved Jesus, but I didn’t want to surrender my goals to Him.

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My junior year, I had the chance to go on a trip with my church to
Honduras. We had a week of medical clinics, building homes, and soccer
games. But my favorite part was the relationships we built with our
Honduran coworkers and neighbors. The last night of the trip, we sprawled
on the driveway of the guest house with our new friends and stared up at
the stars. I’ve never seen anything so magnificent as that sky.

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As we laughed and shared stories together, God revealed Himself to me in a
whole new way through the night sky. I realized God was greater than I had
ever imagined. Even the stars sang His praises, “for at his command they
were created” (Psalm 148:5). And these stars were the same ones I’d be able
to see again when I stood on my porch in Pennsylvania. It was too much to
comprehend. We talk about being starstruck by celebrities, but I was
starstruck by God. Stunned by the glory of His creation.

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Why had I held so tightly to my own plans? Wouldn’t my Creator know what’s
best for me? What would it look like to surrender my goals to Him?

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Since that trip, my life hasn’t looked the way I expected. Every time I
think I have a grasp on what’s coming, God shows me something different.
Surrendering the future to God involves a lot of sacrifice, waiting, and
trust. But it’s worth it. When we loosen our grip on our own goals and
trust our Creator with all we have, we will find many gifts along the way.
• Becca Wierwille

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• What aspects of God’s creation make you feel closer to Him?

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• While it’s good to have goals and plans, God calls us to follow Jesus
first and foremost, and to entrust our dreams to His tender care. What are
some goals you have a tight grasp on as you look toward your future? What
might it look like to surrender those goals to your Creator?

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• Paul oriented his life around the gospel—which is the good news about
Jesus restoring His people to relationship with their Creator and,
ultimately, restoring His creation. In following Jesus, we find a full and
satisfying life. If you’d like to dig deeper, read John 10:10 and
Colossians 1:15-23. Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created
all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth
each of them by name.

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Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
Isaiah 40:26 (NIV)

Read Verses:

Psalm 148; Isaiah 40:25-Isaiah 40:31