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Do you see what I see? |
Said the night wind to the little lamb: “Do you see what I see? Way up in the sky, little lamb.”
Well, how about it?
Do you see what I see?
I’ll bet you don’t.
You probably see a lovely tree, covered in twinkling lights, surrounded by presents, with a warm fire glowing in the fireplace.
And you’d be right.
But, I see all that, and something more.
“A star, a star, shining in the night, it will bring us goodness and light.”
Can you see it, twinkling away, there on top of the tree?
Because I see more than a star: I see a story.
A story of two young lovers, newlyweds, poor as church mice when it came to dollars, but rich, oh, so very rich in love.
With veritable stars in their eyes.
Starting a life together. Starting their own little family, with just the two of them, And not enough money to decorate their tree.
What to do, what to do?
Necessity being the mother of invention, the bride got the idea to buy bright crimson flocked ribbon, cut it into lengths, and tie each length into a bow, and insert a wire hook in the back. A string or two of white lights, a strand or two of white pearlescent beads, and a couple of dozen bright red plastic apples, and they had it goin’ on. Red, and green and white was their tree. And thus, they had their first Christmas together in their own apartment, their Love Nest in the Tree Tops, and they were the two turtledoves, blissfully happy. All was calm. All was bright.
Except.
They had nothing to top their tree.
No angel. No Father Christmas. And no money with which to purchase one.
Again, what to DO?
The groom was no slouch when it came to feathering their nest, and as they cast their eyes about for a solution, he spied the Fostoria candy dish that had been a wedding gift, sitting on their table. A crystal star.
So he took the end of the string of lights, and stuck some inside the candy dish, and wrapped it in wire on the outside, and climbed a chair, and secured that very heavy crystal candy dish to the top of the tree.
Can you see it now? |
And together they looked: and lo, it was good.
It was not just good: it was very good.
And then the groom turned out the living room lights, and he wrapped his arms around that bride of his, and they stood in the almost darkness, and gazed in wonder at the beauty that their love had created together. And then, shakily, he sang into the quiet: “Silent night,”. And the bride joined him: “Holy night…”. And together they gently swayed as they sang that old hymn. Together their eyes brimmed over with tears. And together they laid their hearts open before their Savior, who had broken into the darkness of the world, to bring light. Together, they thanked Him.
Oh, yes: it was VERY good.
So good, in fact, that neither an angel, nor a Father Christmas has ever been purchased by them since that time. And every year since, now with their children singing along, when the tree is decorated, they turn off the lights in the room, and bask in the light of that star, and sing to the One they adore.
So, now, maybe a little more clearly, you can see what I see.
How very, very grateful I am for the light from that star, and the love I have known.
When seen through the eyes of love, the most common ordinary things become precious.
God sees us with those eyes, and in His eyes, we, too, are are a beautiful, wonderful, even glorious treasure. Take a moment to believe, and savor that thought: You. Are. Treasured.
Do you have a favorite Christmas ornament? Tell me about yours.
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The post was inspired by a writing prompt given to me by Mama Kat. You can read more great posts like it by lots of other great writers over at her website.