I Would Have Missed It...

Let's be honest.

Things haven't changed THAT much in 2,010 years. Women are women, always have been. We are busy, we have to watch out for gossip and did I mention, we're busy?

If I had been alive THEN it likely would have looked a bit like this:

I imagine that if I would have been up before the cock crowed and I would have gone about the chores of the day.

I would have fetched the water, I would have fed the baby, I would have swept out the barn, (even though it was supposed to be somebody else's chore.)

I would have fed the animals.

I would have made the bread. (Wondering outloud, how in the world can these people of mine eat so much?)

I would have pressed some olives and drawn some water from the well.

I would have mended somebody's tunic that had gotten mysteriously ripped. (Time for the "play tunics" talk again.)

I would have made my way to the market.

I would have conversed with the women in the market, always trying to stop short of gossiping.

I would have 'heard' the rumors, everyone heard the rumors

I would have returned home, put the fire on; I would have made dinner and I would have put the babies to bed, and I would have taken one last look around our home before turning in for the night.

I would have looked up in the night sky, and simply not noticed that THIS night was different.

So we fast~forward 2,010 years, welcome to my world!

I get up before the alarm goes off, and I begin my day. I spend some time in quietly praying before my feet hit the floor.

Then it's off the bathroom for a shower and make~up, so as not to terrify the UPS man.

I would complete the never ending pile of laundry, and find myself mending the jeans that have mysteriously gotten ripped; need to have the "play" clothes talk again.

I would move on to emptying the dishwasher, (even though it was supposed to be somebody else's chore.)

The list of daily tasks would go on and on, you know it, you live it. Addressing the cards, calling a friend, responding to emails, braving the mall traffic, wrapping the gifts, waiting in the endless post office line, going to the grocery, going back to the grocery to get what I forgot the first time, chauffeuring my people to dance and basketball, remembering the teacher gifts!

The list continues and I find myself unloading the groceries, (wondering how these people of mine can eat so much) making dinner, tucking everyone in, unplugging the tree and the outdoor lights, and finally pausing to look up at the stars in the night sky.

Our lives with all their modern conveniences really haven't changed that much.



She missed it 2,000 years ago, not because she intended to. Sure she had heard the rumors swirling all about the town. Rumors of a baby born in a manger. She MEANT to be there, but she was just too BUSY.





The truth is, I am her. I am that same woman in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago.





Simply too busy to notice WHAT was going on around her.


The blessing in hindsight is that I can learn from her, the lesson of a lifetime. The heavenly hosts will announce it, the shepherds will find their way, the Kings will bring gifts, and as every woman who has ever walked before me, I have an opportunity to notice the significance of this night, the opportunity to notice the significance of the life of Jesus.

I silently vow that I will not be immersed in my own busyness that I miss it. I WILL see that star in sky; the star of HOPE, the star of LOVE, the star who welcomed GOD, coming to dwell with us. The star that whispers still today, "Be still and KNOW that I am God." (Psalm 46:10)






join Lori daily at her personal website,all you have to give, where she is listening for the whisper this season....