Christmas Eve Reflections

I want to share a couple insights from a story called "The Star Child," which I used to read to my children at bedtime on Christmas Eve. It is from a wonderful book called Gently Lead by Polly Berrien Berends. The story in its entirety is simply beautiful, and it is possible to read it on Amazon. (Click on "Search Inside This Book," and then enter "Star Child" in the "Search Inside This Book" field - which might require logging in. When the results show, click on the bold text "STAR CHILD.")

In the story, the author explains that most people were too busy inside their homes to notice the Star of Bethlehem shining brightly. However, some simple shepherds who were outside looking up at the sky saw the star. And...

"The only other people to see that star were three wise men. They had big houses with lots of lights and all the shiny treasures anyone could ever wish to have. Yet each of them still had one big wish. They wished to find something brighter and better than all the treasures on earth. The wise men saw the star because they were looking for light. So the only people who saw the star of the baby were some shepherds who had almost nothing and three wise men who had almost everything."  (Berends, p. 42-43)

Citation:  Berends, Polly Berrien (1998). Gently Lead: How to Teach Your Children about God While Finding Out for Yourself. New York: Crossroad Publishing Company.

 I have contemplated this idea a lot over the years and find it quite profound, especially when I get caught up in the mundane preoccupations of life. I find that my life becomes more fulfilled when I take time to look for light and to make this quality of awareness a way of life.

The "Star Child" story goes on to describe the rest of the Christmas story and how Jesus grew up and discovered

"that God is love and that everyone is God’s child. Jesus saw everyone in the light of God’s love. No matter how unfriendly or sick or sad someone seemed to be, he could always see the star child shining through." (Berends, p. 43)

What a powerful practice it is to look for the highest good in everyone with whom we come in contact! A quote from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow comes to mind:

"If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should see sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility."   

And it is every bit as powerful to experience someone connecting with our inner light. During the last meeting of a World Religions course at Ithaca College, the professor (with whom I remain closely connected) went around the room, looked into each student's eyes, and stated that she saw our divine nature.

WOW.

Remembering this experience, I entered the teaching profession vowing to connect with the higher nature of each of my students, no matter what kind of behavior or attitude they exhibited. This kind of presence is a gift for both the giver and the recipient. It has an elevating effect and is worth cultivating in our lives. It is a radical act that requires rising above so much worldly conditioning and the ego's desire for comfort. Love - which I think of as a force of unity and connection - is radical and courageous. We must risk stepping out of our comfort zone and calling our prejudices into question. Every single one of them.

Every single person in this world began life as an innocent, radiant star child. Everyone is someone's son or daughter and worthy of love. No excuses or exceptions. And we are all the sons and daughters of the same life force that created us, which makes us all brothers and sisters. We are more alike than we are different. This doesn't mean condoning misguided or harmful actions or being permissive when firm action is in order. But may we hold every human being's inner light in our hearts and pray that it may grow stronger. When we can do this, our light shines brighter, as well.

And with that, I wish all of you who celebrate a very merry Christmas. May the love in our hearts shine brightly, revealing the best and the highest within everyone we meet.