Brian blew out a breath, completely frustrated. Unfortunately, that was the normal state of his life right now. He didn’t have time for this. He’d run over a stick, and now the lawnmower was making a strange noise. This was the only evening this week he had to take care of the yard, since for some crazy reason, Laura decided they should go on a family camping trip this weekend.

Brian turned off the mower and inspected the undercarriage. Great. The blade was damaged. He’d have to pick up a spare. He mentally scrolled through his calendar. Tomorrow night he had a dinner with clients. That would run past dark. Wednesday night he had a club meeting. Thursday night Jared had a soccer game and they’d need to pack everything. And then Friday they were leaving. He glanced at his watch. He had an hour until sunset. He could run to the home improvement store and get a new blade. He’d be able to get the rest of the yard mowed mostly before dark. But there would be no time to spend with the family. Well, that was par for the course these days. Work had been so busy since Sandra left. Finding a replacement for her was taking forever.

As he drove to the hardware store, his mind spun. How did he get to the place in life where he was overwhelmed by everything? His family, his job, and his responsibilities at the club kept him busy every minute. He couldn’t keep on like this forever. He shrugged. Well, eventually the kids would go off to college and he’d be able to retire after that. Great. Only twenty more years and he could rest.

He found the blade he needed, replaced the old one, and finished up the yard. If it weren’t for the pesky homeowner’s association, he would have let the yard go until next week after they got back, but the last thing he needed was a passive-aggressive note telling him his yard wasn’t meeting the expectations of the neighborhood. Ridiculous.

Somehow, he made it through the rest of the week. Friday night, he sat around a campfire with Laura and the boys. He poked the fire with a stick. This was actually nice.

Laura turned toward him. “You’re smiling. What are you thinking?”

Jared and Mike each held a marshmallow-laden stick over the fire, and Brian gazed at each of them before turning toward his wife. “I thought you were crazy for planning this trip. Last week was insane, and next week will be no better, since I won’t be catching up on work this weekend.”

Laura’s face fell, but Brian held up a hand. “I thought that before we got here. But now that we’re here, and we finally figured out which pole went into which flap in the tent, I’m happy to be here. It’s good to get away from everything and be together as a family. Life has been so busy lately. I’m going to do my best to relax and enjoy the weekend, but sometimes it’s hard to put everything out of my mind.”

Laura studied Brian’s face. “I know you’ve been stressed. That’s why I thought this would be good for you. To take some time to be with us and with God.”

Brian raised his eyebrows. “With God?”

“Yes. When is the last time you read your Bible or prayed?”

Brian glanced toward the boys, but they were immersed in their own world, seeing how close they could get their marshmallows to the embers without catching them on fire. Mike’s caught and he whirled it around, a sugary fireball.

“Brian?”

Brian turned back to Laura. “I haven’t had the time. There’s been too much clamoring for my attention. It’s hard to see God amidst everything going on in my life.”

Laura’s forehead creased. “You know, we used to camp here when I was a girl. I want to show you my favorite part of this campground.” She glanced at the sky for a moment. “Tonight will be perfect.”

Brian dropped his stick into the dying fire. “OK, what did you have in mind?”

Laura turned toward the boys. “How many marshmallows have you eaten?”

The boys shrugged. Laura picked up the half-empty bag. “Well, since half of these are gone, I’m cutting you off. We can save the rest for tomorrow. Let’s douse the fire. I want to show you guys something before we turn in for the night.”

Jared grabbed the water pail and poured it over the fire, jumping back as it smoked and sizzled.

They made their way across the campground, passing families sitting around their own fires. Laura led them by flashlight across a field and up through the woods.

“It’s a little dark to be taking a hike,” Brian said. “There isn’t even any moon out tonight.”

“It’s perfect. It’s only a few more minutes.”

True to Laura’s word, a few minutes later, the woods opened up to a clearing at the top of a ridge that overlooked a giant gorge. But more amazingly, the night sky opened up before them. Mike gasped. “Dude, I’ve never seen this many stars!”

Laura turned off her flashlight and they stood in wonder for several minutes.

“Mom? Why are there so many more stars here than at home?” Jared asked.

“At home we have so much light pollution. Here, away from the city lights, the stars aren’t overwhelmed by all the competition.” She glanced at Brian. “It’s like with God. If we let all the worries of our life clutter our mind, we won’t be able to see what He wants to do with our lives. It’s not like the stars aren’t there at home. There are millions of stars in the sky all the time. But it’s not until we get away from everything else that we’re able to see them.”

Brian stepped closer and took Laura’s hand in his. Maybe he needed to spend some time focusing on God. He sent up a silent prayer. “God, thank You for my wise wife. Thanks for Your beautiful creation and this time with my family. Help me to put You first in my life again. Please help me wade through all the light pollution so I can see Your stars shining in my life.” He squeezed Laura’s hand and whispered in her ear. “Thank you.”

Psalm 46: 1 and 10
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”

God, sometimes we get so overwhelmed by life that we miss what’s important. Thank You so much for the beauty of nature and of the stars. Thank You for the people You put in our lives who give us wise council. Please help us put away the “light pollution” from our lives so we can focus on You. Yes, we have responsibilities, but we can get everything done in our lives that You want us to do, as long as we put You first. Help us to prioritize our time with You over everything else. If we do, all else will fall into place. It doesn’t mean we won’t burn our marshmallows or run over sticks with the lawnmower. Trials will still come. But we’ll have a different perspective if we keep our focus on You. Thank You for never giving up on us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.