The Stars
Last weekend was a long weekend in South Africa. I had the privilege to nip away to the Ladismith district in the Klein Karoo with my wife for a weekend in a small, remote cottage on a farm. After dinner on Friday night, we were standing outside at the fire and found ourselves in complete silence, looking up at the stars for about 10 minutes. With no artificial light and only the moon to light up the fields, the stars were beautiful – leaving us in silent awe of the wonder of nature. Being part of nature made us realise (again) that we are part of something much grander and bigger. It also accentuated our knowing that God was intimately part of that moment. Those silent moments lingered for the whole weekend.
Even though I don’t do it often enough, it is quite amazing to stop, be quiet and look up at the stars every now and then. Of course, it helps if there are no artificial lights and sounds, as staring into the night sky makes you aware of your small and insignificant world, which often feels so big and heavy. It is comforting and humbling to be aware of something bigger. There is a galaxy out there, big and vast – and acknowledging its awe and wonder could be extremely helpful.
Looking up
I have given that moment of looking up a lot of thought, as it represents an important message and an important reminder. I have realised that we are sometimes so focused on the challenges in front of us, being pulled into reality, that we forget that there is Something and Someone much bigger. In a world of bickering and infighting, wars and conflicts, and droughts and floods, we often overlook that there is a world much bigger than ours. Looking up into the big skies more often will do us well.
Looking up is a metaphor on so many levels. Yes, you can look up at the sky at night, or at the clouds during the day, but metaphorically, it is also important in life to “look up” more often and see beyond the challenges in front of you and to find perspective on whatever obstacles you must face. Look up and live in dependence on God, because looking up means acknowledging your dependence and believing that there is Someone watching over you. It means believing that you are not alone.
This is also true for business challenges; those times when we are unable to see the big picture because of immediate obstacles. That is when it’s important to look up from your screen, out of the window, or quickly see your colleagues. It could also work if you could remind yourself why you do what you do!
Looking up is a metaphor on so many levels and so important.
Artemis II
When I looked at the moon that night, I thought about the experiences of those aboard the Artemis II. The historic NASA-led spaceflight mission, the first crewed flyby around the moon in April 2026. I thought about their perspectives looking down. One of the crew members, Christina Koch, posted an emotional message on Instagram about how looking down gave her perspective about the beauty of the simple things in life.
“This moment,” Koch wrote, “people often ask if I was scared. But I was aware of the risks. When I left my home for the last time on March 27, I looked around and thought about how much I loved my humble little life. Unexpectedly, a part of me started to miss it terribly for the small chance in the future that could come to be. I know a morning cup of coffee on the porch with your best friend is a simple and universally small thing. But it is also everything,” she concluded.
Looking up might give us perspective, just as looking down gave Christina perspective. We’ll do well to sometimes look up from our conflicts, our challenges, our stressors and our strains. And while I am very aware of all the disharmony and conflict in the world, Christina’s looking down has helped me to look at earth through a lens of unity and camaraderie. It gave me hope.
She also shared another reflection on her welcome back speech, which further emphasised her experience. You can watch it HERE.
May looking up be a metaphor for you for the rest of the year. Look up from your screen, look up and see your loved ones, look up and see the clouds, the stars, and the moon! Look up and be aware that there is Someone bigger.
I am reminding myself about a few simple things:
- I’ll do well to look up more often.
- I need to look up and see the people around me.
- I need to stop and look up more often to get perspective on the here and now.
- Looking up is a metaphor to look beyond our obstacles and see the big picture.
- All the artificial light and noise sometimes make me forget the Divine.
REFLECT
What does “looking up” mean to you today?
When was the last time you “looked up” practically and metaphorically?
Which are the things bogging you down causing you to get stuck in the here and now?
What do you need to look up from at this moment? Maybe there is something that is just “too big” to look away from? Maybe a core emotion, or something that you repeat when talking too yourself. Or maybe there is just too much pressure and noise to recognise anything else. Think about these questions for a few minutes …
RESPOND
Be deliberate to look up from the here and now – decide on one small action. Whether it is a worry, a business challenge, or just a lack of space and time that is locking you in. In your relationship maybe just look up and see your partner again? Look up!
Try this:
Switch off all the artificial lights you can, then go out at night and look up at the stars for 10 minutes … just stand there … this might represent a small step of “looking up” …
Ironically our little remote cottage last weekend in the Klein Karoo is named The Eye. I don’t think this is a coincidence!
May you see the stars!
Let me know of your creative stories or soulful ideas at andre@besoulful.co.za.
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