Wednesday Words of Wisdom...A Day Early! Merry Christmas!
The Man Who Missed Christmas
Years ago, my husband and I; as well as a couple of our children, were on our way home from a road trip to Florida. We decided to take the long way home and drive through the Smoky mountains. As it was nearing evening, we decided to spend the night at a motel so that we wouldn't miss any of the beauty due the darkness. We stopped at motel after motel after motel...with no rooms available (a convention in the area...believe it or not). We continued to drive...across the scenic mountain area...missing what we wanted to see. When we finally found a motel with a vacancy it was old, it was dirty and it was rather scary...but we were tired and needed a place to rest. The motel was far less than we had hoped for...but something that we were grateful for at the time. It was shelter...a place to lay our heads...our basic needs met for the time being. When we woke the next morning, we realized that we had missed something beautiful...something that we had waited a long time to see...something that we had promised our children. A disappointment for sure...but a lesson learned. Had we simply taken the time to make a reservation, we would not have missed the beauty that we had hoped to see. We missed seeing the scenic mountain...but what else do we miss because we are always in such a hurry...pre-occupied...self absorbed? Ask the Inn Keeper (s)...how disappointed was he when he realized he missed the Savior? When he realized that he missed something beautiful...something that he had waited a long time to see? Something that he; as well as the rest of the world, had been promised? Imagine the headlines if he hadn't missed Christmas. "Savior was born tonight at the Bethlehem Inn". The Inn Keeper would be telling everyone how "HE" had noticed this young woman, pregnant with her first child...and about to give birth. How "HE" had given her shelter...etc. etc. The Inn...as well as the inn keeper...would have been famous! Ironically though, the Bible doesn't even mention an Inn Keeper by name...or even the fact that there was an inn keeper...just the fact that there was no room at the Inn. The Inn Keeper(s) was so pre-occupied with his work that he failed to see a young mother...about to give birth. A woman in desperate need. He failed to see a couple in need of rest and shelter. He failed to see the miracle that was about to happen. He missed it all! He missed the very first Christmas! It is easy to point a finger...but are we any better? Have we missed Christmas this year? Have we become so occupied with the trimmings of Christmas that we have missed its triumph, as the inn keeper did long ago? Have we crowded Jesus out so that there is no room for Him in our busy schedules? Have we stopped long enough to spend time with Him? Have we been about His work? Have we noticed a family in need, a young pregnant woman with no place to turn, a person living on the street who is cold and hungry, a family with no Christmas gifts for their children, those that will not have a Christmas dinner, those that are alone with no family? Have we missed Christmas? If so, let's make the necessary changes in our lives so that we will see Christ every day!. So that we will be like Christ to those around us...every day! A brand new year is coming...that is 365 new opportunities! I have prayed for each of you this morning...I pray you have a wonderful, joyous and relaxing Christmas with your family and friends! Be like Christ to someone today!
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