We began the morning as shepherds, four mothers who had stepped away from the hills of homemaking to warm ourselves by the fires of friendship for an hour. Caretakers of our own little flocks, we gathered round a coffee table set with twenty flickering flames and lingered long in one another’s quiet company.
We who dwell in constant noise and perpetual motion savored stillness. We who wade daily through tears and tattles, fusses and fights, cupped steamy mugs of coffee and spoke of scattered things– of preschool Christmas programs and homework hassles; of teenagers fighting to become themselves and toddlers doing the same. Our words painted portraits of our humble lives– of potty training and basketball games, of hard working husbands and hard-to-change habits.
And then our words turned to the One who we’d come to adore.
“What do you love most about Jesus?”I asked.
Worry lines relaxed. Tired eyes grew bright. The shepherds gazed at the STAR.
“I just can’t get over His holiness…” one said.
“Or His kindness,” added another.
“And His joy,” I murmured.
We breathed deep, inhaling the fragrance of praise as we poured out our love for our stable-born King.
We spoke of the ways we’d seen Him this year, recounted His footsteps next to ours. Teary-eyed, one testified to His grace. Another rejoiced in the miracle of an answered prayer. I marveled at how He had turned a disappointment into a gift and someone bore testimony to His daily faithfulness. Our praises cut through the daily grind like dawn’s light breaks through darkness. All eyes fixed on Him.
The hands of the clock pushed hard. Reluctantly, we carried our coffee mugs to the kitchen and bid one another good bye. Our quiet reverie would soon give way to lunch preparation and laundry piles, preschool play and nap-time battles. But we could return to the trenches with joy. Though we had come as shepherds, we would leave as wise men. For we had seen His glory and would continue to follow the Star.
The Overflow: When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.-Matthew 2:10
A gift. Beautiful…
Wishing you a Merry Christmas, Alicia! You are a blessing!
BEAUTIFUL!!!