I was told today of a
poem. It is a epic poem that tells
the story of Christmas. As I
say the word Christmas, I get excited to jam out to Christmas music, but it is
much to early to talk of Christmas music (at least according to some of my
roommates). Today, I am
actually going to talk about a part of this poem and how it applies to my life
now. In addition, it also applies
to all of our lives and the beginning and ending of chapters, as well as our
inability to go on to the next chapter.
In this poem, the
author describes the lives of the shepherds. They are men who care for their sheep, an overall mindless
task and gaze at the stars. There
is very little purpose or meaning beyond looking at the stars, but more out of
a way to pass the time. They
acknowledge that the stars are there and that they are good, but very little
thought is put into the meaning of the stars.
The wise men on the other
hand, devote their lives to studying the stars. They try to predict the future through the stars and have developed
their own philosophies based on the stars.
One day, the shepherds
are called out of their mundane task of being “lil bo-peep” and see a starry host of angels. Really, can you imagine what that would
be like? As they follow the star
to see the messiah, their journey begins.
On that same day, the
wise men know they have an important task of following this star. They are not exactly sure of their steps, but they know
there is great meaning to finding where this start leads. When they follow this star and see the
messiah, descover that they have found the a true meaning of life, and their journey ended.
Now, I am no poet, nor
really a famous story teller like my good friend, Eric Miller.
However, I hope you were able to
understand the story and have it impact you like it did me.
I find myself at the manger ending one
journey and starting another.
I
find that the past three and half years, I have served in the Dominican
Republic with purpose.
I was clear
of my call there and felt real direction in all that I have done there.
My vision was clear as I trained girls
in volleyball, discipline and responsibility.
They were taught about Christ and how they can be leaders in
their communities.
To “end” this
chapter, it seemed that everything was mounting up to a final goal of our trip
to the states.
English. Following
the rules (so as to not get kicked off the team).
Practicing hard to beat the tough states teams.
Fundraising for the trip.
Using all my free time to organize and
plan every single detail of the trip.
Everything seemed to be leading up to the trip.
And then we came to
the states. Our team bonded
together in an incredible way. The
girls grew in so many ways. I have
even seen fruit in this as many of them and am thankful that we had the
opportunity to go on the trip.
However, I find that a new journey is beginning. Now what God? I find myself going back to the beginning and remembering
why God has called me to the DR.
What are some new things that I need to focus on that I may have lost
sight of in my intense efforts to plan for the trip.
If you have made it
this far in this long blog, I encourage you to examine where you are in your
journey. Have you just gotten
complacent and now just look at the stars and say, “Oh, those are pretty” ? Are are you like the wisemen and
continue to examine things and search out the deeper meanings of things? As a teacher, remember back to the
beginning of your journey and remember that you entered teaching to to make an
impact on kids lives, to inspire.
As a husband, remember why you love your wife and remember what it was
like to win her heart. As we
reflect on our past journeys, we also have to continue start new journeys. What kind of coach do I want to be a
year from now? How can I better
love my husband better like I used to when I was his girlfriend? (I’m speaking
for those married ladies, that is). My prayer is that we can all continue to
remember our past and use them to actively begin new journeys that bring us
closer to Jesus. So yeah… Merry
Christmas!!! Never to early to start celebrating right?