[G-d told Abraham,] "Look toward heaven and count the stars - if you can count them! That is how your descendants will be."
Although the plain meaning of this statement is that the Jewish people will eventually be as numerous as the stars, its metaphorical meaning is that they will sparkle like the stars; their light is so bright that even those walking in the thick of night will not stumble. We are all Abraham's "shining stars," possessing sufficient moral and spiritual fortitude to prevent those around us from stumbling and to exert a positive influence on them.
--Excerpt from Kehot's Daily Wisdom