Christmas is finally almost here!
For the first few years that Britt and I were married my Christmas spirit was partly ruined by working retail. Not to mention, I was typically deep into final exams this time of year. Now, neither of us work retail or go to school and our Christmas spirit is back! We also have a cute little guy that we get to share Christmas with!
Little Drummer Boy
My favorite Christmas song is "The Little Drummer Boy." I think the love for this song started when I saw a middle school age boy sing it while playing his drum at a Christmas-eve service. The words of the song always meant something to me.
I love how the Little drummer boy starts. He comes to Jesus so he can give Him his "finest gifts." His mood changes once he actually gets to Jesus. I imagine him getting to Jesus and putting his gifts behind his back after he realizes that the finest gifts he has to offer are not good enough for the King of kings and Lord of lords.
I believe, we all come to this same point in our Christian walk. When we come to Jesus and accept Him in our hearts we are so excited about telling the world. We want to do something! After seeing Jesus, we quickly realize we don't have anything worthy of Him.
The Drummer boy would have felt like we feel when we are driving to a Christmas party with what we think is a great $20 gift but that gift is overshadowed when someone gets a brand new car! The Little drummer boy realized that the finest gifts were nothing compared to Jesus. He responded the only way we knew how. "Can I play for you?"
The gifts we have to offer our family, friends, career, and faith are nothing compared to the gifts of life, Grace, Joy, Peace, Health, etc. that we receive freely from Jesus. When we finally reach the point that we are able to set our eyes on Jesus, we will finally know that what we have to offer is simply an overflow of our gratitude for what Jesus did for us. In the end, all we can do is sit in front of Jesus and play Him a song.
It won't seem like much but I have learned from being a father that it doesn't take much to impress. You can ask any Grandma. Ask her if she would rather receive gifts from her grandchildren or have them put on a show for her to watch and giggle at. The joy of life (which is a gift from God) is still our greatest gift we can give back to Him!
What song can you play? Tell someone you appreciate them. Tell someone you love them. Listen to God and wait for opportunities to bless people. Forgive someone when they don't expect you to forgive them. Play the song that is on your heart because this season is not about giving a gift worthy of praise, but rather responding to the greatest gift of all with the greatest gift you have, you.
