First Baptist Church of Herndon

What's in your box?

Linda Soller | Dec 17, 2012

In the Drop In class we are in the middle of a series called “Make a Joyful Noise.”  We have been talking about the history behind a few favorite Christmas songs and the message of those same songs. We were discussing the “Little Drummer Boy” and we meandered to the topic of gifts. For a minute we visualized a familiar scene. A toddler is surrounded by adoring adults and lots of presents. The child pulls off the bow, tears the paper, dumps out the gift after a brief review, and then wanders off dragging the wonderful empty box behind him. In our early years we are not so hung up on what is inside the box, the box itself is a wonderful thing. Somewhere along the way we change and we start to focus entirely on what people put inside the box. We grownups are partly to blame for this change in our children. Those adoring adults retrieve the wandering toddler with his box that goes bump bump as he walks and place him back in the middle of their circle. They continue to push their treasures at the child. They hide emptied boxes behind chairs and throw bows and ribbons in the trash so the child is not distracted from the real gifts. Children learn quickly. Before you know it the child sees a box, not as something wonderful, but as something of little value.

The poor little drummer boy had no gift to bring, or so he thought. This fact did not keep him from going to see the newborn king. We can imagine that he watched as others presented their gifts to Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus. Then the boy remembers he has been given a gift, his ability to play his drum, and he can share that gift with the baby. So he plays the best he can and makes baby Jesus smile.  It is a simple song, a touching story, and it brings to mind a wonderful picture. This drummer boy teaches us that the best gifts we can give are not always things we purchase; they are often what is inside of us. We are in fact the box, full of gifts we have been given that we can share. Perhaps the toddlers of the world know that fact already. Maybe they enter this world understanding how important they are, just as they are, containers of great gifts. Maybe we need to stop trying to change their minds. What’s in your box? Have a great week :o) Linda

Footnote: This blog was written on December 11. Three short days later tragedy struck the community of Newtown, CT. Stop what you are doing now and pray for the children, the families, the friends and neighbors who are struggling to cope.  Pray now, for life can change in an instant.