Kristine Stroble, pastor of Heritage Presbyterian Church in Youngstown, Ohio, writes (https://pres-outlook.org/2016/01/star-words-a-spiritual-practice-for-epiphany/):
On the Sunday we celebrate Epiphany at the church I serve, it has become a tradition to pass out “star words.” Perhaps you’ve heard of them. This practice of passing out star words has grown in popularity recently. On the day that we remember the star that led the magi to Jesus, we pass out pieces of paper cut into star shapes with a printed word. I first heard of this practice from a fellow Presbyterian minister Marci Glass on her blog. What I didn’t realize three years ago when we first passed out these stars was the impact they would have on my life and my church.
My first word was RESTRAINT. I wanted to throw it back. What was that supposed to mean? RESTRAINT made me think about being held back or being bound. These words were supposed to be a gift, but this did not feel like one to me. And yet, over time the word continued to work on my heart and mind. I started practicing RESTRAINT at church coffee hours and forgoing doughnuts. I used RESTRAINT to stop myself from getting second helpings at potlucks. RESTRAINT gave me permission to look at how unhealthy I had become and do something about it. When I began to see RESTRAINT as a gift instead of a curse, it freed me to change my eating habits without apology, to leave work earlier to exercise and to focus not just on my spiritual health but my physical health.
In my year of RESTRAINT I lost 90 pounds and, for the first time I could remember, achieved a healthy weight. I’m not one for New Year’s resolutions because – let’s be honest – they always seem to fail. Instead, these star words have become my practice for the New Year. Instead of making a resolution that I’ll feel guilty about a week later, I take a star word as a gift and keep my eyes open. The stars have allowed me to see God in unexpected ways and places. They’ve been challenging, life-giving and transformative.
Read Isaiah 60:1-6 and pray that you can lift up your eyes and look around, see and be radiant, so your heart will thrill and rejoice.