Day 13 The Little Ones Will Shine

Day 13 The Little Ones Will Shine

2  But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old,  from ancient days Micha 5:2

Leaders yearn for status and recognition. In the Army, men hungered for that next promotion. In the business world, it’s the corner office. While I was in Recruiting Command, for one brief moment, it was both. I’d been selected for promotion to Major. I could put CPT(P) behind my name, though that is not a true title. My commander, a lieutenant colonel, decided that I would pull double duty as a company commander and battalion operations officer. Our battalion headquarters was in a tall office building in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. It overlooked the Browns football stadium, the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame, and the waterfront. The Operations Officer, as one of the senior officers of the organization, enjoyed a nice corner spot with great views. I showed up for my first day of duty eagerly awaiting the chance to move into the prime real-estate.

Much to my chagrin another officer, one who would be my deputy, had already moved into the much sought-after desk. I pointed out that as the Operations Officer that desk was mine. He replied that we were both captains, so I could go pound sand. He did not know that soon I would be a major. I chose to bide my time since it would only be a couple of weeks before I was promoted. Sure enough, two weeks later I pinned on Major’s rank. I went over after my promotion ceremony and told my new subordinate to clear out his things. I had attained the next rank. In a world driven by rank and status, I had moved up.

Unlike the human world, God operates differently. When preparing to send His son through the incarnation, God chose to send His Son to a minor clan in a minor, subjugated, nation. As if that was not enough, He sent His son to work in a blue-color career with very little in the way of status or wealth. God uses the small and insignificant to work His will and achieve great things. Each Christmas among all the acts of celebration, we should set aside time to contemplate God’s penchant for breaking into our reality through the inconsequential. Christmas reminds us that even if we are not great or wealthy, God may use us to do significant things in His plan. We submit to Him and He folds us into the warp and woof of His wonderful tapestry. Each year the incarnation reminds us of God’s penchant for using the opposite of what we would to achieve His goals. It is, truly, a wonderful time of year.