Advent Week 4: Light
Note: Advent, of course, is over now, but this miniseries wouldn’t be complete without one last post.
January is my hardest month. Sure, the days are starting to get longer, but the difference in when the sun sets is so miniscule that it’s hard to notice. In the morning, it’s almost like the sun struggles to get out of bed as much as I do. Throw in awful, rainy days like this past Friday, and darkness descends pretty much before five in the afternoon—read, before I leave the office.
Though Christmas is almost two weeks past and I find myself all the way into the New Year, I want to pause and look back at one piece of the advent season that always seems out of place—the arrival of the three wisemen. They lived somewhere east of Bethlehem, though where remains unclear. When the star came, they most likely began their journey shortly afterward.
What a voyage it must have been! They kept their eyes focused on the star as their guide. No matter how far they traveled, they found their way by its light, even though it took well over a year, most likely closer to two if Herod ordered all male children two and under killed shortly after their visit. Two years is a long time to travel. A very long time, yet they kept at it despite the dangers that they most likely faced or the distractions that could occur. They had to move by faith that at the end of the line awaited a king.
What about those of us who walk by faith and not by sight? Do we have a star in front of us to follow? We do. I often think of my cousin when I think about this. She passed away at the young age of 52 from breast cancer that had metastasized and finally beat her. Throughout her life, she’d walked by faith. She loved Jesus. She followed Him, and it showed in her life. On that hot day in August 2015, she saw Jesus face to face.
I’m on a journey as well through this life, one where I follow the Light that came so long ago in the form of a baby in a manger. I may find myself distracted, potentially drawn off the path leading to my King, so I keep close to Him. And one day, on a day the Lord chooses, my faith will become sight.
Question: In what ways is it easy to get distracted, to take our eyes off God?
The Conversation
In simple short fashion,
I find that my habits and routine are very important in keeping up with what is of value, such as my spiritual health. To separate the familiar in my daily walk of truth can dash my focus causing a path of apathy. Although I think variety is good, the creature- of-habit in me, is truly a blessing.
Don, I totally understand. I cannot tell you how ready I was to be in a routine.