The Christmas Muse… Look Up!

Muse (myooz)

1)    To think or meditate in silence, as on some subject

2)    To gaze meditatively, or wonderingly

3)    To comment thoughtfully or ruminate on

In thinking about and praying over different ideas for this year’s holiday season blog posts, I knew it was time to put our original Advent Calendar series on hold for a year.  But to be honest, I was not feeling any real sense of direction or excitement for this Christmas time… that is until I stepped outside late last with Fiver at my side.  

As part of his regular routine, the pooch will stop at the top of the stairs leading from the deck to the backyard and look over the yard before plunging off into the dark.  So as he looked down into the grassy expanse, I LOOKED UP into the skies… and was completely mesmerized by what I saw!

The outdoor thermometer attached to the railing next to us read about 22 degrees and I was standing there in my shorts and tank top… but you know… I didn’t feel a thing except for the warmth that was generated from the scene that majestically unfolded before my eyes!  The air was crisp and clear and the intense background of black in the skies was illuminated with neon-like brightness that emanated from the thousands of stars that twinkled in the heavens!  I can honestly say that the night skies were never this clear and this bright back in our home town in California!  

As the dog scampered off to do his thing, I stepped onto the patio and immediately found myself lost in thought over what I beheld before me.  In my mind’s eye I was suddenly standing among the shepherds who stood in that lonely meadow near the little town of Bethlehem thousands of years ago when “An angel from the Lord suddenly appeared to them and the glory of the Lord filled the area with light, and they were terrified.  Then the angel said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid!  I have good news for you, a message that will fill everyone with Joy.  Today your Savior, Christ the Lord, was born in David’s city.’” (Luke 2:8-11 God’s Word ©)

I cannot explain the sights and sounds that seemed to explode around me.  The glory of the Lord shined so bright that it overpowered any fear and personal depression that was trying to come against me as my heart has been aching and longing for my wife’s companionship and the joy that she brings into my life, especially as we come into the holiday season.  For many years now it just hasn’t been the same.  I’ve tried to get into the holiday spirit with the decorations, family gatherings and long distance conversations with the kids and friends, but it just isn’t the same without her active input and touch.

But as I stood in that field with the shepherds at my side, all of that no longer held an important grasp on me anymore.  All I could see, all I could feel, all I could hear and even smell was the glory of the Lord as it encapsulated every part of me!  Suddenly I understood… that Christmas is not about me and what I don’t have, but it is about Him and all that He has done for me!  It is about what I do have… about what I am thankful for and NOT about what I am missing and or hoping for.

As I gazed up into the stars I realized that Christmas is all about Him… period… and yes we do celebrate Him with and through our families and friends, but the focus is to be just as my focus was drawn away from me unto the heavens and the glory of the Lord that captivated my heart… Christmas my friends… is ALL about Him!

So, that’s my theme for my blog posts this Christmas season.  I’ll be musing over different holiday experiences that I have had over the years and relate them to Him… and thereby allow the glory of the Lord to shine upon and through us to others this Christmas season!

So I encourage you to go out tonight as far away from the city lights as you can and LOOK UP and just maybe you’ll be swept away into the glory as I was!  Fill up on Him this season and then give out from your abundance unto those in your lives around you… and as you do… keep asking yourself… “Whose glory am I expecting to focus on this Christmas season?”