The light
draws me in – mysterious, divine, compelling.
I feel as
though I am given a simple choice – follow the star and find the elusive answer
or potentially live with a lingering, nagging wonder… where would the star
have taken me?
Keeping the
star in my sights, I persevere into the future. I am not yet sure if the
brilliant light is just a mirage, a guide, or my ultimate destination. All I am
sure of is that I must find the answer.
The journey
is hard, but I continue to wander over mountains and through deep ravines. On
occasion I stop to refresh and refocus on the great, glimmering goal. The
wilderness is the toughest part of the quest; it is the audible silence that
casts doubt on my desire for the light, but I push on.
My
companions offer words of encouragement as we edge closer to the star. The
mystery grows daily – larger and more pronounced, like a young pregnant mother
watching the growth of her child from outside her stomach. Our questions are
laced with nervous excitement and our words offer a hopeful consolation: have
we made the right choice?
Wearily, but
rhythmically, we plod on. At some point in the early evening, we are arrested
by the silent, stationary star. Its arc has come to rest above an obscure and
unlikely home. There are no magnificent palatial walls to mark the birth of
this unique child. Where are the consorts and servants? Why are there no royal
guards or physicians? There is no smell of a thousand fires, lit to feed the
multitudes come to honour the king.
Perhaps this
is all wrong? Has our wisdom been nothing but foolish guessing?
Yet, there
is a faint sound emanating from a home on the eastern hillside. We see a dull
light coming from the rudimentary shelter. In truth, it’s more like a stable,
but there are signs of life coming from the open doorway. It is the voice of a weary
young man, followed by the prayer of an emotionally drained teenage mother: Thank
you for this gift, Yahweh!
In my heart
I sense we have come to the appointed place, but my gut-feeling is confirmed
when the sound of the angelic choir rises overhead. I have never heard hundreds
of voices combine to this effect before. The overall message resounds as one,
yet it is as if each distinctive voice is heard: Glory to the King!
Our hope is
finally rewarded in this delightful moment. We choose to respectfully bow to
the young parents, before we kneel before the child. It seems fitting that we
honour the infant boy and as we rise from the dusty floor, the star reflects in
his new-born eyes.
The gifts
are for him, but we wonder if they are worthy enough for this special child.
Will he even need them? Perhaps in the end he won’t, but it is what they truly
represent that we have come to offer. Each precious treasure conveys the
message of our hearts. We have found what we were looking for and now He
deserves our genuine response.
And so, we
offer Him:
Our allegiance.
Our resources. Our All.
Genesis 9:16 - "When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth."
Thought: Rainbows are seldom seen when the sky is clear - they shine best when there are dark clouds around. When we face storms this year, let us remember that God is always with us.
Living in Grace
D3LM3
P.S. Please feel free to forward these posts to anyone who may need some encouragement. Asking them to sign up to the blog is a great way for us to grow this ministry - thank you for your help in this. Grace.
It is a thousand times better to have common sense without
education than to have education without common sense. -Robert Green Ingersoll
Anyway, regardless of its origins, we all understand it's meaning: Any established habits are hard to break.
It is interesting that if I asked us if this phrase was used in a positive or negative context, most of us would lean towards the negative. I certainly relate this expression to the bad habits that I have a tendency to keep repeating - these old habits are hard to shake off and change.
However, what if we took the expression solely in a positive perspective? The good habits that we have created over time (that are now viewed as old or established) are equally hard to break. They will not easily die off, if we keep nurturing them.
As we start 2023, I feel it is good practise to reflect on all our habits - both healthy and destructive - and to ask God to help us with each of these. The healthy habits need to be maintained, but the destructive ones need courage to quit or to change.
Proverbs 18:9 - "Slack habits and sloppy work are as bad as vandalism." (The Message)Questions:
Living in Grace
D3LM3
"May our disappointments of the Old Year give way to new hope
and dreams for the New Year.
May our pain and scars of this past year create a new
resolve and perseverance in the coming year.
May all our grief and loss of the past, become fuel for
deeper empathy and kindness towards those who will struggle alongside us in the
days to come.
May all our doubts and uncertainty of the Old Year be
motivation for a resolute faith and passion for the future.
May our failures and unfulfilled expectations of the past
grant us revised perspective and refined clarity in the days to come.
May our victories, joys and celebrations of this last year
become a reservoir of deep gratitude and thankfulness in the New Year.
May our knowledge of God’s unending mercy and grace be both
a light for our journey this year, as well as a promise of God’s continual
presence into the unknown."
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Have a Blessed 2023.
Living in Grace
D3LM3
