shine like a star

therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed - not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence - continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life - in order that i may boast on the day of Christ that i did not run or labor for nothing.
--philippians 2:12-16

i've read these verses over and over again throughout my life. they've been in my top 10 favorites. but i read them again this beautiful sunday morning for my quiet time with God and it kind of just sunk in.

i want to shine like a star.

i've always wanted to shine like a star but sometimes it would turn into pride or legalism or whatever and i forget the original reason of why i do the things i do or say the things i say. it's because i want to be blameless and pure and have a different attitude towards life than the rest of this crooked and depraved universe.

i don't want to be like the rest of the universe. i am called to be different.

and i think i'd been having a little trouble accepting that. but it's okay! i'm re-accepting my love to be "weird" and desperately want to continue trying to live my life as a star.

it sounds a little cheesy, wanting to "be a star!" and everything, but hey, it's what God tells us to do in the Bible so it's all good :]

i just had to write all of this before i went off to meet up with my brother to go to church!
i love blogging :P