Craig Clouston

Nothing Is Something

Lift your eyes and look to the heavens.
Isaiah 40:26

Jill’s father turned his head toward her and quietly whispered, “It’s close to bedtime, kiddo. Five more minutes then we gotta land this spacecraft, and you gotta hit the books.” Jill’s passion for lying under the night sky had been passed on to her by her father. He saw relevance in his and his daughter’s stargazing.
His own father had not seen things that way. “Get in this house and get your homework done now!” he would scold. It seemed he couldn’t understand his son’s fascination. He said the same thing every time. “There’s more to life than watchin’ stars, boy. Go do somethin’ worthwhile!”
“Well, Dad,” he whispered into the night, “as far as I’m concerned, watching stars is doing something.” He wished his father could have understood his interest. “And as long as Jill has a love for the heavens, I’m going to encourage her.”
A few minutes later, Jill squealed with delight. A huge green blaze had just arced from one side of the sky to the other! “Oh, Daddy, that’s the brightest shooting star ever! I’m glad we saw it together!” She couldn’t see his smile but could hear him say, “Me too, honey! Me too. Maybe someday you’ll get a closer look from space. You just keep lookin’ up.”

†

Doing things that to some appear senseless or serve no relevant purpose does not necessarily equate to doing nothing.
Not all of us are called to become astronauts, yet many of them had their interest piqued by watching the night sky. The stars are beautiful, and seeing a falling star fascinates each of us. You don’t have to aspire to be launched into space to enjoy the stars.
Just because we don’t see the value of something does not negate it. With an eternal perspective, seemingly meaningless things can have vast significance.

Prayer

“Lord, help me see the value in things that don’t necessarily interest me. Help me encourage others to seek the things that bring them joy in Your kingdom. Amen.”