Blessed

“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.” Luke 10:23

Jesus said His Father had hidden things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to the childlike. This reminds me of a story I read a long time ago. A soldier found a book in a used bookstore, and liked the sensitive notations written in the margins. When he found a name, Holly, and address at the back of the book, he wrote asking if they might correspond as he was going to be deployed for 18 months overseas. To his delight, the lady wrote back and they continued getting to know each other. 

When his 18 month assignment was over, they agreed to meet, but the lady refused to give her picture. “You will know me by the pink rose I will wear on my dress,” she said. The day finally came and the eager soldier was waiting, scanning all the people that went by their agreed meeting place, when suddenly a beautiful woman walked toward him. She was stunning and their eyes met, and he almost turned to follow her... but there was no rose on her lapel. 

Then he saw an older woman, maybe 40 years old, rather sweet looking, with a rose pinned to her dress. Swallowing his palpable disappointment, he said hello and asked her to have dinner with him. The lady smiled and answered, “Son, I don’t know what this is about, but that young lady who walked by said if you were to ask me to dinner, I was to tell you she is waiting in that cafe over there.” 

In this world, we get enticed by so many things that sometimes we get distracted from what is the right thing to do. In Frozen 2, there is a song that goes, “Just do the next right thing, Take a step, step again, It is all that I can to do, The next right thing.” This Advent, it is a good time to evaluate, am I getting distracted by worldly things? Am I taking time to seek God and what He wants for me? Instead of being “wise and learned”, let us desire what God has revealed to the childlike. As Christmas approaches, let us await with joy the gifts the Christ Child has for us, and give Him our heart in return.