Day 3- The Star

When the star of Bethlehem is mentioned during the Christmas season it is usually referred to by the prophesy spoken in Helaman 14:5, “And behold, there shall a new star arise, such an one as ye never have beheld; and this also shall be a sign unto you.” The sign spoken in this scripture is the sign that Christ was born. It also mentions in the scriptures that wise men followed the star. Tonight I would like to talk a little bit about what the star means to me.

When I was a Young Woman I remember a lesson we had about how important we were to our Heavenly Father on an individual level. During the lesson we talked about the stars and how many there were. President Uchtdorf in the 2011 October General Conference said, “Astronomers have attempted to count the number of stars in the universe. One group of scientists estimates that the number of stars within range of our telescopes is 10 times greater than all the grains of sand on the world’s beaches and deserts.” That is a lot of stars, and that can be intimidating to think of all that God has created. I love what President Uchtdorf continues with, “while we may look at the vast expanse of the universe and say, “What is man in comparison to the glory of creation?” God Himself said we are the reason He created the universe! His work and glory—the purpose for this magnificent universe—is to save and exalt mankind. In other words, the vast expanse of eternity, the glories and mysteries of infinite space and time are all built for the benefit of ordinary mortals like you and me. Our Heavenly Father created the universe that we might reach our potential as His sons and daughters.” In Doctrine and Covenants 18:10 it reads, “Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God.” No matter how many stars are out there God knows each star just as God knows you. He cares for you individually and knows what you are going through. At the end of the Young Women’s lesson we were each given a single ‘glow in the dark’ star. When I got home that day I placed that star on the ceiling right above my head so that each night I would look up at that one star and remember that I matter. That star is still in my old bedroom at my parent’s house. I hope as you look at the Christmas star this year you will see how important you are to our Heavenly Father.