Starshine

When I think of the song "You Are My Sunshine" I often like to replace the words with Son Shine.  It still works and it is still cheerful and upbeat.  In fact, to sing it no one would know that in my head I refer to Christ's reflection and not the actual sun.

But this time of year, in the bleak midwinter, the sun is a delicacy that we don't often see or feel.  This time of year we are faced with cold, gray and often dark weather that can sometimes be incredibly bitter and hard to bear.  It is a season when we crave warmth and nourishment......... and hope, and peace.

Therefore, I believe it's no accident that Christmas falls this time of year.  Christ brings all of that to our lives.  Even though our holidays become so cluttered and commercialized, there are glimpses of the Son that gleam through the darkness.  Most of us become more generous and are less focused on ourselves than any other time of year.  We give not only to our family and friends, but to people we don't know through local Christmas basket funds or toy drives.  We see more random acts of kindness - like the anonymous donors paying off the layaway balances for unknown families.  These things touch our hearts and warm our spirits.  These things are Christ....  These things are glimpses of sun/Son.

But these things to me - seem to sparkle much more than the sun.  They stand out amidst the dark part of this season.  They have a special glow that is ever so slightly different.  And so did that star that marked where Christ was born.......

And just as the sun seems like a delicacy to me now, I crave that star much more than I ever have.  I crave it not only because of its beauty but because it points the way.  It shows me where my treasure lies.  It shows me how very much God loves me.  It is a compass of sorts.

And when all the darkness of this world begins to overwhelm me, all I have to do is look for His star.  It is there, sparkling like a precious gem - leading me back to the direction I want to go.  The direction of His gift.  And He becomes not my sunshine, or my Sonshine but my Starshine.  The differences are subtle but they are there and I want to see His starshine not just now but every day of every year.

You are my starshine, my only starshine - You make me happy when life is gray

I'll always know God, How much You love me

You'll NEVER take my starshine away.