#loved space

[unculturedmag]

Massimo Uberti - Loved Space (2014)

[thekimkimandrews]

Flying Sky High, Jetlag and What I learnt from the Stars.

My forehead stayed glued to the airplane window as my wet eyes stared into the night sky, which was lit up with so many stars! No camera could capture that picture (I tried). In that moment, as I sat in my slightly uncomfortable seat, my seatbelt off, I leaned forward to take in this majestic sight. The fact that I hadn’t been able to sleep for a while and that I was flying way, way up above the ground that my feet were so used to walking on, didn’t faze me one bit. For now, I just wanted to reach out and touch one of those beautiful constellations.

I’ve always been a fan of space and it’s mysteries, but that night on the plane was different; for the first time, I wasn’t just looking but also seeing the beauty of the sky and it’s incredible vastness. Overwhelmed and slightly emotional by all of it, I sat at my window wiping away tears from my eyes. I’m not one to generally cry very often, but there I sat, surrounded by so much beauty, that I couldn’t help but allow my eyes to moisten up. 

The fact is, I had been questioning God about life for a long time now and just really battling with my inner self about things that seemed so big to me. I had so many ‘Why’s’ to ask and so many ‘How’s’ and so many more ‘When’s’. I would get so angry with God at times for taking people away from me, allowing death and for shutting doors in my face. Then there were moments I would feel so incredibly alone even though I was surrounded by people. It almost felt as if God had decided to take a break from me. I would cry out to God asking him why He had left me and how I was going to find my way around things and when my prayers would be answered, all the time knowing that God never really had abandoned me. I was the one who was falling away. 

As I sat there in that airplane, my heart was overjoyed in realizing that the same God who had sprinkled such beautiful stars in the night sky was in charge of my life too! the same God who designed all the different shapes and sizes that stars come in, was on my side! I am His child!

My mind was flooded with songs about God’s faithfulness and how His love is so beautiful. I sat there in awe at how in spite of having created all the beauty in the world, from the stars, to the oceans; He still chose to create me. At that very instant, I felt more beautiful than I have ever felt before, in knowing that the creator of something as beautiful as the starry night sky, also created me! How much more I must mean to Him! 

I also noticed how unique each constellation was and yet how significant each of them is and it made me think about how each of us has a unique life to live. We are all called into different things and we’re all given different moments to live out. I know that I’ve struggled with being envious of the moments other people are given without realizing how many great opportunities have been placed right in front of me! Each moment leads up to a bigger picture; a brighter constellation. 

I got to see three falling (shooting) stars! And that was when I really understood why God takes people away from us; Sometimes, God allows stars to fall in order to create something beautiful. Of course losing a loved one will always hurt and there will always be a space in our hearts that seems to have gone missing. But the truth is that, that maker of the whole entire universe allowed that to happen, and if he could make such beauty out of falling balls of fire, then he can definitely make our tragedies into great blessings. 

That plane ride taught me to be patient and to simply find peace in knowing that there will be times when we fall and there will be times when things just don’t seem to be going our way in but spite of it all, if the same God who created the galaxies is on our side, we have nothing to fear. And in that moment, all my problems seemed so incredibly small and my God seemed so awesomely huge and all I could do was smile and let the tears flow out of my eyes, in knowing that while I wait to be a part of His glorious presence one day, my time here is taken care of by someone who loves me more than the stars are beautiful...that’s got to be a LOT of love. 

“I see the work of your hands, galaxies spin in a heavenly dance, oh God, all that you are, is so overwhelming...I delight myself in you, captivated by your beauty, I’m overwhelmed...” [Overwhelmed by Big Daddy Weave].