My Soul is the Mirror of the Universe...

... and my body is its frame.

That's one of my favorite quotations, from Voltaire.

When I get really depressed and am feeling hopeless, I often find myself outside, at night, staring into the vastness of the Universe. As my eyes adjust to the darkness, more and more stars become visible. Eventually a cloud-like trail appears across the sky: the Milky Way. The Universe is deep, dark, and mysterious—a mirror of my own soul.

It's humbling and awe-inspiring to look into the infinite night sky. It calms the mind; soothes the soul. The night is silent, everyone is asleep. No traffic, no screaming child, no whining dog. Just me and the infinite. The stars I see have been there since the dawn of civilization. The Big Dipper has been circling the North Star since the beginning of recorded history. The ancient Egyptians and I have something in common—we both look upon the constellation of Orion with awe and reverence.

My problems seem fleeting and almost trivial in the face of the infinite Universe. Whatever is bothering me right now will pass, while the stars above will continue burning, bringing light to all who look up. I've heard it said that we're just specks of dust in this endless, majestic, powerful cosmos. The connotation is that we're insignificant; meaningless. I don't think that's true. Maybe we are but specks of dust, but the same God that created the whole, beautiful, perfect Universe created us, too. He took the time to create and provide for all of us specks of dust. I don't think He would waste His time creating something insignificant or meaningless. We all have meaning and purpose.

I stand in the darkness of a moonless night, searching the heavens for answers, aware of the darkness in my own soul. The darkness that holds me captive to depression, anger and resentment. I demand that God tell me why He's left me; why my life is in such disarray. But He hasn't left, has He? I'm looking at Him when I look at the stars; at the Milky Way stretching across the dark expanse of night sky.

As I calm my thoughts, I remember how essential darkness is. Without it, I wouldn't be able to see the majesty of God's creation when I look up at the starry night. I know (even if I'm too stubborn or too ensconced in self-pity at the time) that I have light within me to balance the darkness; just as the billions of twinkling lights in the sky provide balance and light in the dark of night.

My life isn't perfect. But it doesn't matter. I am a masterpiece, because I am a piece of the Master.

For we are God's masterpiece...

Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)