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We need a Guided Tour

Have you seen Jupiter in the night sky?

If you have looked at the stars in the last month or so, the answer is “yes”. Jupiter is the very bright “star” that is visible in the southeastern portion of the sky right after sunset.

How do I know this? Well, I have an interest in astronomy. In fact, I have several books about it and I have tons of “star charts” that are supposed to help me. Unfortunately, for all my books and charts I still have a hard time figuring things out. I mean, the stars are not always where they are supposed to be according to the chart. Then, of course, there is more than one bright star up there that could be Jupiter, so how am I supposed to be sure that I am looking at the right one?

So, how did I figure out which one Jupiter was then? Well, when we were camping at Kenosee this past week, a group of people from the “Regina Astronomical Society” set up their telescopes on the lookout point and gave us a tour of the night sky. In fact, they even showed us things that we could not see on our own. For example, one of the men trained his scope on Jupiter and said, “Look in there and you will see four moons around the planet” and sure enough, there they were as clear as could be.

Now, without someone to guide me, I would never have been able to pick Jupiter out of the thousands of stars in the sky that night. Without someone pointing the telescope, I would never have seen Jupiter’s moons, because I was not equipped to see them. However, because someone who knew more than I did took the time to teach me what I was seeing, I saw more than I realized.

As I thought about it, my faith does the same sort of thing for me. It helps me understand what I am seeing. It helps me make sense of things that I do not understand. It sorts things out and gives me a different perspective.

You see, faith is not always about coming up with something new and weird. In fact, some of the best things about following God come from seeing the ordinary things, the everyday things in a new way and in a new light.

Could you use some guidance and direction? Do you need someone who can help you make sense of things? Could you use a different perspective on your life?

The God who created this life can teach us how to live it well.

“I [Jesus] have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

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