The annual Perseid Meteor Shower has been going on for a couple of weeks now, and its best viewing is the next few days. At its peak, you can usually see anywhere from 50 to 100 meteors per hour. I was gathering some info on the meteor shower last week to share on my show when I learned something I never knew … or maybe I did learn this in grade 7 Science class when we covered astronomy but I’ve since long forgotten it (sorry, Mr. Luhowy).
It turns out, those ‘shooting stars’ we see streaking across the sky aren’t huge gigantic flaming boulders of light. They come from one (Comets), but meteors are much, much smaller.
The Lunar and Planetary Institute explains that “Meteor showers occur when Earth passes through the trail of dust and gas left by a comet. The particles enter Earth’s atmosphere and most burn up in a lively light show — a meteor shower.” They travel at such intense speeds (20 – 3o kilometres per second) that when they hit the earth’s atmosphere the air in front of them burns up creating intense light. Those streaks of light we see are specks of dust that range in size from a grain of sand to a pebble.
Jesus is our comet. It’s true – it’s Biblical.
This is good. Because that’s what we are. When we look at us as individuals in comparison to the rest of creation including the Earth and the Heavens, we’re just a speck of dust. Yet if we’re living out our faith with the power that God gives us we have the ability to produce so much light that those in our path take notice.
So often, though, it seems we choose to do the opposite. Just look at the comments section of Christian news sites. We tear one another down, never mind those ‘outside the fold.’ We throw accusations, and we point out other’s failings while completely ignoring our own. There is a time for Christian correction with “brothers & sisters” but I’m completely fine declaring that we’re not doing that 99.9% of the time. What we tend to do is bring darkness. We’re doing completely the opposite of bringing light into the world.
Jesus is our comet. It’s true – it’s Biblical. He says so. In John 8:12 Jesus applies the title to himself while debating with the Jews and says: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” If we want others to experience Christ’s light we kind of need to show it.
Meteors are tiny specks of dust that follow in the trail of a comet. Their source of life is the comet, and when they come across our path we can’t help but notice them as they light up the sky.
Be like a speck of space dust.
Now you say, “Yeah, but meteors burn up in seconds as they streak across the sky.” Right, that’s the point.
Size yourself up again in comparison this time to all of eternity. To all of time before, and all of time yet to come. Right now most of us in Canada will get an average of 82 years to live it out. In comparison to all of eternity, it’s like a second or two.
How are we going to take advantage of that? We’re only given a very small amount of time to impact the world around us.
I’m going to do my best to live out my few seconds like a speck of space dust shining light.
