“After they had heard the king, they went on their way,
and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped
over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were
overjoyed.” Matthew 2:9-10
On my Christmas tree hangs a miniature galaxy of 1500
white lights twinkling beneath a luminous capiz shell star that this year
replaced the angel which has always floated atop my tree. It’s a fitting
transition since stars have captivated me as long as I can remember. Often
while growing up, I would sit outside at night and gaze upward at the
glittering lights. On chilly December nights, I searched for the northern star
and strained to see if I could determine which light shone in the east at Jesus’ birth. A couple of weeks ago, we had
an unusual cold snap and I wandered into my backyard to stare at the innumerable
flickering stars strewn across a black velvet canvas. For weeks before that
night, one of my Mom’s Christmas stories kept popping into my mind. For years,
God gave Mom Christmas and Easter stories to share at church and one year, He
gave her the story of Twink. After Mom died, Dad and I looked for written or
typed copies of Mom’s stories but never found any. So, drawing from my memory
to the best of my ability, here’s Twink's story.
Long ago, way out in space there lived a little
unassuming star named Twink. Year after year he watched as other stars did
important jobs and shared with each other stories of their exotic travels.
Listening to the other stars, Twink began to feel unimportant, like his life
had no purpose. One day he started crying and as he did, in the cold, still air
of space, the tears began to freeze around him. Each day the layers of ice grew
thicker and thicker as Twink continued to cry. He drifted farther and farther
away from the other stars until he was all alone in a forgotten corner of the
universe. Cold and lonely, Twink began to despair. Then one day, he saw a
blinding light and heard a gentle voice.
“Twink, I haven’t forgotten you.”
“Really, Lord?” Twink’s voice shook from the cold and the
tears.
“Really.” Twink could hear God’s smile in his voice even
if He couldn’t see Him. “I have a really special job for you.”
“You do?” Twink felt his heart warm and wondered if maybe
God’s love could thaw the ice around his frozen heart.
“We’re going on a really long trip and I need you to
follow me.”
“Where are we going?” Doubt and fear crept into Twink’s
voice.
“Do you trust Me?”
“Ye-yes, lord,” Twink stammered.
“Good, then let’s go.”
Long days and nights, Twink and God traveled together and
for a while, Twink couldn’t see much below himself because of the layers of
ice. So he followed God’s voice and stopped and rested when and where He told
him to. As they soared past comets and planets
and sparkling galaxies, Twink poured out his grief to God. As they journeyed
together, the ice around Twink finally began to melt and his light grew brighter and brighter. When he could see clearly, he looked down and spotted a huge group of people following them. They were dressed in fine clothes and
rode camels and seemed to be on a very important trip.
“God, I think they’re following us.” Twink looked at the
people apprehensively.
God chuckled loudly. “They are, son, but that’s what
they’re supposed to do.” The next night God announced, “We’re here.”
“We are?” Twink looked down into a dusty village outside
a big city where he was hovering over a humble, rough-hewn home.
“Yes, Twink. You’ve just led all those people to My Son
and the world will never be the same because of your obedience.”
Twink’s eyes filled with tears of joy this time as he looked down into the eyes of a baby who smiled up at him, reaching out his tiny hand as though to touch him. The baby smiled and cooed and Twink beamed with such joy that his light lit up the night sky as the travelers bowed in awe before the Son of God.
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