A Mother-Son Adventure
Last week, I whisked my son over to Maui for a belated birthday gift—a night atop Haleakalā’s 10,000-foot summit to photograph the Milky Way. As a mom who cherishes life’s fleeting moments, I was over the moon to share this time with my son, whose passion for photography lights up his eyes. A new moon promised a perfect stargazing night, and as we wound up the volcano’s twisty road, I marveled at how its ancient lava flows—God’s fire—formed this island.
Heaven’s Glow
At the summit, we set up our cameras under a sky so dark it sparkled with countless stars. The Milky Way stretched above like a faint, wispy river of cloud, delicate yet breathtaking. Awestruck, I thought of Abraham, called to trust God’s promise and count these same stars behind the sunrise thousands of years ago:
Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them. So shall your descendants be.
— Genesis 15:5
Though the stars were veiled by the morning light, Abraham trusted God’s word. Likewise, we should trust God’s plan of goodness for us, even when it’s hidden from our sight:
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
— Psalm 19:1
Seeing the Unseen
With his shutter speed set to 30 seconds, my son quickly succeeded in capturing the Milky Way’s radiant splendor. Mission successful!
But I fumbled, snapping black images at 1/25 second until his patient guidance corrected my exposure time to 25 seconds. The next shutter click, left open to the darkness, delivered.
I felt like a magician! My own picture of the Miky Way showing how God’s light shapes the night.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
— John 1:5
A Night to Carry Forward
As we packed up, I felt woven into this tapestry of stars, part of God’s vast design. Instead of feeling small, I felt immense. My son’s excitement, our shared clicks, the Milky Way’s glow—all pointed to our loving Creator, who names every star:
Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name.
— Isaiah 40:26
