Friday, December 24, 2010

I played my best for Him.

Christmas.

I love this holiday so much. It used to be all about presents. You know, the childish wonder of Santa Claus and what he would bring.

As I have gotten older I have really began to understand what Christmas really is about. Yes you get all of those forwarded text messages that say in massive letters "Remember the real reason for the season." To me that refers to a few things which all go hand in hand together.

Now, when I hear "Christmas", I think of a few words.

Family.
Friends.
Giving.
Receiving (yes, still. If you don't think about how awesome it is to get presents, then you are fibbing.)
Love.
and Jesus Christ.

I am a relatively new Christian I guess you would say. I finally understood what it meant to be "saved" on January the 6th, 2007, at 2:30 a.m. by my bedside. I realized what Jesus meant to me and how I could not deny my need for him anymore.

But to go further into my definition of me being a fairly new Christian- I know I still have so much to learn before I can graduate up to another level. I will admit that I have never read the bible all the way through. I don't even read it daily. I fall short on many levels. I am still maturing in Christ.

But from the moment when I told Jesus that He was my life from that point on, Christmas has taken on a whole new meaning. I mean, I knew what Christmas was about..but not what it was about.

As a small glimpse into what I mean, here is this:

The other day, I was listening to Christmas music while fixing myself up to go somewhere. You know, hair, makeup, etc. Just being a girl.

I had my Christmas playlist (which is huge. I love me some Christmas music) on shuffle. It goes from Trans-Siberian Orchestra to some Elvis..then to Josh Groban. Yes, he has a beautiful voice. Yes, his music is moving. However, the song that came on usually would not seem like one that would have a profound affect on someone.

The Little Drummer Boy. One of the most overlooked carols. One of the "cheesiest" carols, I have heard it put.

But as I listened to the song that I have heard since I was little, I really listened to it. I didn't passively sing the lyrics. I listened.

Here are the lyrics that we all know.


Come they told me, pa rum pum pum pum 
A new born King to see, pa rum pum pum pum 
Our finest gifts we bring, pa rum pum pum pum 
To lay before the King, pa rum pum pum pum, 
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum, 

So to honor Him, pa rum pum pum pum, 
When we come. 

Little Baby, pa rum pum pum pum 
I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum 
I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum 
That's fit to give the King, pa rum pum pum pum, 
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum, 

Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum, 
On my drum? 

Mary nodded, pa rum pum pum pum 
The ox and lamb kept time, pa rum pum pum pum 
I played my drum for Him, pa rum pum pum pum 
I played my best for Him, pa rum pum pum pum, 
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum, 

Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum 
Me and my drum. 


At the end of this song, I had tears streaming down my face. My freshly applied makeup was in ruin.

This quaint Christmas carol had humbled me to the point of tears.

I will tell you the reason why it got me so bad. Okay, so...this little boy. He is so excited to see Jesus. He gets to meet the Saviour. The real deal. He looks around and he sees this massive crowd of people. The people all have these gifts. Expensive, beautiful, out of his reach gifts.

All he has is his drum. His small drum.

He walks up to Jesus, the one who would redeem the world. Who would die for all of us. and he gives the most precious gift of all. He gives Jesus his best.

He played his best for him. He gave Jesus the very best of himself. The best of his love. He didn't have anything else, but by having nothing, he gave Jesus everything. And Jesus smiled at him.

The bible tells us to humble ourselves as children. I can see why! This little boy had it right. I imagine he was very nervous, not having an actual gift..but he gave his best.

Why is it so hard for me to give my best? I want to give Jesus everything that I have to offer. I want to be able to humble myself and not be ashamed. To walk up in front of the crowd and play my best for him.

He is the reason for the season. He is the reason for everything. I want Him to have my best.

1 comment:

  1. Great one, Steph! I think it shows tons of spiritual maturity as a Christian to say that, because only a person who truly loves Jesus is going to want to give Him their best. There are many Christians interested in pleasing God, sure, but only a few get the point and see 'Wow, He deserves me best.'

    Another great thing is that because we can come to God as His children and call him 'Father,' when we give our best, he is proud of us like a Father. Proud! Who made the universe with a command of His voice, says 'Wow, I am proud of so-and-so.'

    Great blog, Stephanie! Merry Christmas!
    -Matt

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