Shining Star

Yesterday was the feast of the Epiphany.  The Wise Men arrived to pay homage to the new born King. They followed a star, not really knowing how to get there or what exactly they would find when they arrived.  They followed because they were compelled to do so.  They knew the skies and there was something very different about this star, something that compelled them to follow it and see where it leads.

Who are the stars in your life?  Who are those people who just had something so different about them that you felt compelled to follow them?  If you followed, where did it lead you?

To whom are you a star?  Do you shine in such a way that people are compelled to follow you?  I suppose the even more important question would be where do you lead?  If people were to follow you, your example, your leadership, your values and dreams, would it lead them to Jesus as the Star of Bethlehem led the Wise Men?

Whether we believe it or not, people are watching us.  We have an impact on every person that we meet, even if it's for a brief moment.  What do we want those moments to look like? Every Christmas, millions of people watch the classic It's a Wonderful Life.  We watch George Bailey struggle against his life, but it is his integrity and the way he treats people that is his measurement of success.  We may never know the impact we are having on the cashier at the grocery store, the waitress, the person you let in front of you in traffic.  Every day we can choose.  We can choose to be joyful.  We can choose to be kind.  We can choose to go out of our way.  We can choose life.  We can choose Christ. 

I am reminded of a talk Randy gave last year at our conference. He played Earth, Wind & Fire "Shining Star."
"You're a shining star.  No matter who you are.  Shining bright to see.  What you could truly be."

You could be the shining star that rises above the usual way of doing things. You could be the star that attracts attention because it's so different, so brilliant, so compelling.  You could be that shining star that leads people out of their darkness and to the stable of the new born King.