Don’t Shoot for the Wrong Star

by Esther Cumbamngalam

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I remember all throughout Elementary school teachers would tell us to “shoot for the stars”, it was a theme all throughout school. “Shoot for the stars” is basically an expression used to tell us to aim for your dreams, goals and visions and that the sky is not the limit. I want to quickly share with you some amazing facts I had learned in science class back in high school. Did you know that shooting stars are actually not stars? Shooting stars are what astrologers call meteors, a fragment of an asteroid, that is as small as a grain of sand. So next time you wish upon a shooting star, you are actually wishing upon a speck of dust. I remember also learning about the supernova. When a massive star runs out of nuclear fuel, it is basically a dying star that eventually explodes into what is called a supernova. A dying star is brighter than even the sun when it’s coming to the last stages of its existence. What does this have to do with vision you may ask? Well, our vision is the star we are shooting for. However, we have to be careful we are not shooting for the wrong star. Sometimes we think we are aiming in the right direction and tend to chase after the brighter things in life like a shooting star. But we have to be careful we are not chasing after something that holds no substance or value. The unfortunate truth is, many people are chasing visions that are like shooting stars not realizing that it isn’t as glamorous as it seems. Or sometimes the visions we are chasing after are actually a dying star.

Remember a dying star (supernova) shines brighter than all the other stars. We can sometimes get blinded by how efficient our vision looks, but the question we have to ask is if it is going to be effective. A supernova can efficiently achieve its maximum productivity of light, however, its effectiveness will not last for long since it is coming to its end time. Let’s not forget like a supernova, even visions die off. I pray that none of us will chase after dying visions in Jesus name. So how do we know if we are shooting for the right star? How do we know we are aiming for the right direction concerning our vision? I think we first have to make sure we are not limiting God concerning our visions. Secondly, I believe we have to make sure our vision holds substance and value. We also have to make sure that it is going to be efficient as well as effective so it does not die off. I also believe we will know we have the right vision when it starts to direct us in living our life in a way that is according to what God has done. We also have to ask ourselves what this vision we are aiming for is really about. If our vision makes us forget why we started chasing it in the first place, it may be the wrong vision. We need to realize that if we hit something on the way to that vision it is going to test our level of faith and commitment. This is important to think about because if our vision does not have a place for God in it, it is going to be hard, if not impossible to accomplish that vision when an obstacle comes in our way. We have to ask ourselves “am I going to stay true to my vision even if things don't go the way I thought”. I believe our ongoing Christian journey is going to be based on if we are going to stay true to that vision. Overall, these are just some thoughts that came up for me while reflecting on this crucial topic of vision. I pray that none of us will shoot for the wrong star concerning our vision and lives in Jesus name. I pray that God will continue to guide us and make known to us the right way to go concerning our dreams and visions. Amen.