Today’s scripture: Matthew 2:1-8 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Melody Merida):
The family vacations of my childhood were often less than thrilling. We didn’t have much money back then so we often spent our vacations visiting family instead of staying in nice hotels. One vacation was very special though. My family spent an entire week in Florida visiting the theme parks and enjoying the beach. It was magical! But I remember this vacation primarily because of an awful day I had.
My sister and I wanted nothing more than to see dolphins frolicking in the ocean on this particular vacation. The last two days of our vacation were reserved for the beaches and we couldn’t wait to get there. When we finally did arrive at the beach, we knew something special would happen — we would swim out into the water and a family of dolphins would greet us with enthusiasm! (Remember, I was a kid.) But something else happened entirely.
Instead of the dolphin dream, my sister and I started fighting. We had been cooped up together for almost a week without our normal routine. Everything I did annoyed her and everything she did annoyed me. We got into so much trouble for fighting that my mom forced us to sit on the sand during most of our beach time. It was miserable. All we could do was watch while others around us frolicked in the water, presumably with a whole group of dolphins.
On the last day at the beach we finally were able to get into the water. We waited and waited for our marine mammal friends to arrive. For several hours there was no sign of any dolphin; this forced our attention back to our dislike for one another and we began to fight and argue even as the waves came in around us. My mother pulled us both out of the water and made us sit on the beach again. That wouldn’t have been so bad except for what happened next.
Not more than twenty minutes after we were forced out of the water, we watched as, about fifty yards out from shore, a pod of dolphins began leaping out of the water to the delight of those swimming nearby. Swimmers from all over the beach began swimming out to that location to get a closer look at the frolicking dolphins; but all my sister and I could do was watch from the distant beach. We were devastated. Our whole vacation was wrapped up in that single moment that we missed because of our own selfishness.
This memory came to mind as I read about the wise men in today’s scripture. They, too, went on a long journey to have one single awesome experience — greeting the Messiah. They could have been so easily distracted by King Herod’s selfish wants and missed their once-in-a-lifetime experience, but they persevered and stayed focused. That determination to get them where they wanted to go must have paid off as they looked into the eyes of the one they knew to be the King of the Jews.
If they had blinked, they might have missed him. If they had stopped their journey because they were tired, they would have missed him. If they had retreated for fear of King Herod, they would have missed him. If they had been too busy with their own selfishness, they would have missed him. Don’t let the moment God has planned for you pass you by like my sister and I did on the beach that day.
Thought for the day: What might distract you from God’s presence in your life this Christmas season? How can you stay focused on the journey ahead of you in the same way the wise men did? Don’t blink or you might miss what God has in store for you!
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.