BY DAWN REED
Jan. 6 was the 12th day of Christmas, Three Kings Day, Epiphany, and Old Christmas all rolled into one. This special day celebrates the arrival of the wise men in the Christmas story (Matthew 2). I’m glad to have a specific time to appreciate those sages who traveled a great distance to find the newborn King.
The wise men. I picture them this minute in velvety robes with radiant smiles. In my mind’s eye, I see one of them with a white beard.
They had journeyed so far. Could have been irritated, frustrated, or aggravated. Long trips don’t always bring out the best in travelers, yet Matthew tells us they arrived on the scene with “exceeding joy.” When our kids were little, we trekked to Florida for a family reunion in a minivan with two toddlers – without a TV or video player. We did not have exceeding joy. We were just glad to get out of the van.
As we begin a new year, there are some good things we can learn from the wise men.
Have a habit of pressing on. The Wise Men did not quit. They didn’t give up. It took a long time for them to find Jesus. It would have been so easy at times to turn around and go back to where they came from. Paul stated in Philippians 3:13-14: “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on…”
Have a habit of looking up. The wise men kept their eyes heavenward, watching the star. We, too, can look up. Our Father is in heaven. We look to Him for strength, for direction, for wisdom. Instead of saying, “Look up at the positive,” I mean, “Eyes up to your Father, your Strength, your Helper!”
Have a habit of surrendering ourselves. My beloved once mentioned in a sermon that the wise men laid themselves down and THEN their gifts. They “laid themselves down.” In present-day application, that would be a daily dying to self. What would 2023 look like if we practiced that habit? What could/would God do with us if we were completely yielded to Him. As faithful, as kind, as trustworthy as He is, why is it scary to follow His leading? In 2023, let’s be fully surrendered to the Lord and His perfect will.