Too Busy To Hear

Bible Verse of the Day:

"Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long..."

Psalm 21:4

The noise and the bustle began earlier than usual in the village. As night gave way to dawn, people were already in the streets. Vendors were positioning themselves on the corners of the busiest streets. Store owners were unlocking the doors to their shops. Children were awakened by the excited barking of the street dogs and the complaints of the donkeys pulling carts.

The owner of the inn had awakened earlier than most in the town. After all, the inn was full, all the beds taken. Every available mat or blanket had been put to use. Soon all the customers would be stirring and there would be a lot of work to do.

One can only imagine what the conversation at the breakfast table between the innkeeper and his family must have been like that day. Did anyone mention the arrival of the young couple the night before? Did anyone comment on the pregnancy of the girl on the donkey? Maybe. But if someone mentioned it, it was probably not discussed. There was nothing that special about them. They were just one of several families that had been turned away that night.

Besides, who had the time to talk about them when there was so much to do? No, there was no time to discuss the condition of the girl, or to even wonder about it. They were too busy. The day had begun. Money had to be made. The morning chores had to be done. There was too much to do to imagine that the impossible had occurred: God had just entered the world as a baby.

Yet, if someone were to have taken the time to peek into the sheep stable on the outskirts of Bethlehem, what a strange thing they would've seen!

Stables stink like all stables do. The stench of urine, manure and sheep is strong in the air. The ground is hard, the hay is dry. Cobwebs cling to the ceiling and a mouse scurries across the dirt floor. You couldn't get more lowly and humble than this.

Off to one side sat a group of shepherds. They were silent, still confused, still in awe. They sat quietly, still amazed at what had happened the night before. Their night watch had been interrupted by an explosion of light from heaven and a symphony of angels. On that night, God went to the simple shepherds.

Because God goes to those who have the time to hear Him.

Near the young mother sits the exhausted father. Joseph can't remember the last time he sat down. And now that the excitement was over, now that Mary and the baby were comfortable, he leans against the wall of the stable and feels his eyes grow heavy. He still hasn't figured it all out. But he doesn't have the energy to wrestle with any questions right now. As he finally drifts off to sleep, he remembers the name the angel told him to use...Jesus.

"We'll call him Jesus," he whispers.

But Mary is still wide awake. Her head rests on the soft leather of Joseph's saddle. The pain and discomfort has been pushed aside and only wonder exists. She looks into the face of the baby. Her son. Her Lord. His Majesty. Somehow, Mary knows she's holding God in her arms. She, too, remembers the words of an angel.

"His kingdom will never end," he'd told her.

He doesn't look like a King. His face is wrinkly and red. His cry is that of a helpless baby. And he's absolutely dependent on Mary for his well-being.

Majesty in the midst of the every day. Holiness in the filth of sheep manure and sweat. Divinity entering the world on the floor of a stable, through the womb of a teenager and in the presence of a simple carpenter.

God goes to those who have the time to hear him.

This baby has seen the entire universe. These rags that keep him warm were the robes of eternity. His golden throne room had been replaced with a dirty sheep pen. And instead of being surrounded by worshipping angels, he was surrounded by shepherds, a young girl and a sleepy carpenter, who were all still a bit dazed.

Because again, God goes to those who have the time to hear him.

Meanwhile, the city hums. The merchants are unaware that God has just visited their world. The innkeeper would never believe that he'd closed his doors to God and sent him out to the cold. And the people would have laughed at anyone who would've told them that the Messiah lay in the arms of a young girl on the outskirts of their tiny village.

Those who missed the Lord's arrival that night missed it not because of evil acts or malice. No, they missed it because they simply weren't looking.

And they were too busy.

And I guess things haven't changed that much in the past two thousand years has it?

(Taken and adapted from Max Lucado's book, God Came Near.)
-----------------------

So don't drown yourself in the business of your life. Don't consume yourself over the worries of this world that you can't stop to take a moment and think about God and the things of His world.

Listen to the birds and their melodies. Pause to watch the sun dip into a blaze of glory. Close your eyes and let the wind blow through your hair. Turn up your face and feel the warmth of the sun or the cold bite of the night air around you.

God made all of that. Just like He made you.

If He talked to you now, if He wanted to whisper something in your ear or press something into the folds of your heart -- the heart that He gave you -- would you pause and listen?

Or would you be too busy to hear?

You shouldn't be. After all, how many kings would step down from their thrones and give up everything...all for you?