Little Drummer Boy

This rendition of Little Drummer Boy always brings a smile to my face and warmth to my heart. Enjoy.

I wonder, can it be so difficult to be as the Little Drummer Boy? Yes, he's a fictional character but let's stop and think about it for a moment.

He heard of the newborn King come to save the world, not through battles, but to save our souls by paying for our sins, sorrow, griefs and illnesses, all that pains us, in that quiet garden so long ago.

He pushed, he suffered and he persevered and the moment finally came when he could play his small drum for the God of all the world.

And what do we do to find Jesus Christ? Do we study the scriptures He's given us in order to emulate Him better? Do we venture into His church buildings to worship, be edified and instructed and to partake of the sacrament in remembrance of Him? Do we eschew the things of the world, as in:

• Trampling on others to get ahead
• Treating our loved ones and others with disrespect and anger instead of love and support
  
• Buying that wonderful new couch instead of paying our tithes
• Spinning as whirling dervishes never seeing the beauty of the world God created for us
• Accumulating gold, jewels, riches, cars, mansions, properties, islands, nations . . . never stopping, never pausing in our pursuit of riches to stop, look around and say -- "I have been given much, how may I give back?"

These are just a few things that come to mind. But maybe the message of the Little Drummer Boy is deeper than thirty minutes of entertainment or three minutes of a song. I think I'll pause and reflect over the last few years and remember what I am grateful for:

• The gospel of Jesus Christ in my life.
• The knowledge I have of my Savior and my Heavenly Father of how much they love me.
  
• My sweet, marvelous husband whom I love and adore is still with me despite the many physical challenges and illnesses we have faced.
• I have the most wonderful family whom I love and adore.
• I have the BEST friends in the entire world, and yes, I speak of my Blogland friends too.
• I step out my door every day, look to my left and there are the snow-capped majestic mountains God created for me to enjoy every day, oh and I do.
• For the beauty of the Christmas trees, their twinkling lights symbolic of that new star which announced the birth of the Son of God into the world.
• For the love and peace that abounds each time this year.
• For a roof over my head, food in my cupboards and a warm bed every night.
• For the internet, where I can interact with friends AND share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the stroke of a key.

I could go on and on, but it isn't really necessary. I think I'll take the Little Drummer Boy and his message to heart this year . . . no matter what it takes, get to Jesus Christ.

Christmas is a little slim for us this year and I have been somewhat saddened by this, juvenile as it may seem. I've struggled to remember what Christmas is about, to not dread my husband's transplant coming up; to not fear the medical bankruptcy finishing on the last day of this year; to not anticipate all the things which need to be fixed in our home and our vehicles and to stop, breathe and remember . . . it just doesn't matter.

We have hope. We have life. We have beauty all around us. We have family and friends. We have love coming to us from every corner of the world. We have the gospel . . . really, we have so much to be grateful for.

And so this morning, as I write, Christmas carols fills the air, the trees are lit with light, my husband is snoring in the other room and I'm grateful, so grateful, for this quiet snapshot in time. Life is good . . . Merry Christmas!