Day #9
Ding dong! Merrily on high
In heav’n the bells are ringing:
Ding dong! Verily the sky
Is riv’n with Angel singing.
We seem to have so many bells and chimes and rings in our lives. Whether the microwave is letting us know that the “homemade” chicken nuggets are ready, or our car is beeping to tell us that our seatbelt is unbuckled, or that super annoying “Aaaeee! Aaaeee! Aaaeee!” coming from our alarm clock is piercing through the dark bedroom to jolt us from our slumber; our lives are surrounded by noises and alarms. These alarms can mean so many different things.
From this classic, beautiful Christmas carol we are drawn a picture of the celebrating chimes from heaven. It’s almost as if the author of this song is describing the way we might hear a call from heaven. In several different passages, scripture describes how someone heard from God. In some instances it was a booming sound like thunder and in others a still, small voice.
Have you ever heard that gentle whisper calling you like Elijah heard in 1 Kings 19:12? God can call us in many different ways. But what he calls each of us to is unique. He may be calling you to minister to a friend going through a tough holiday season. He may be calling you to a new profession. God can use medical doctors to serve those who cannot afford treatment, contractors to build a school in a poverty stricken country, or a lawn care worker to cut the grass of an elderly widow in the neighborhood. Whatever your talent might be, God can use it to bless others. The important thing is for you to listen to His voice, just like the beautiful chimes from heaven. He is calling you to be a light in someone’s life this Christmas.
So, go ahead and hit that snooze on your alarm clock, but answer the call of the Father on your life.
Questions:
How have you heard from God in the past?
What is God calling you to do for someone else this Christmas season?
I think that the first time God called me in my life was when I was with my husband-then-boyfriend back in college. It was really him who helped me with a sort of inner conversion into my faith. I was a cradle Catholic who didn't know the first thing about Sacraments or Tradition. What I had were bits and pieces of Filipino traditions, superstitions, and plain ignorance.
Because of my (now) husband, I came to learn and know more about God and my faith. I met Our Lady through the Rosary too! Before that, the rosary was more of a talisman for me - something I knew was holy and powerful, but didn't know how to use - or why. It was all a very eye-opening time for me.
This season though, I'm not sure what God is calling me to do for others - except for those things I do for my children. I am constantly reminding them that Christmas is Jesus' birthday. Right now, I'm working on getting the 4 year old to understand who St. Nicholas is versus Santa Claus. It's very confusing for her, but we're making progress. It's just a little hard because she still has a limited concept of time. She thinks "a long time ago" is when she was just a baby or was in my "tummy" still. LOL.
For Advent, we are doing a countdown to Christmas - opening an envelope with a piece of chocolate for each kid AND a reading. But in order to receive the chocolate piece, each kid must answer a question related to the reading. Well, except for the 2 year old - he gets to answer the same question everyday - "Whose birthday is it on Christmas?"
It's a little thing we do each day, and we should probably try do more, but the kids are slowly understanding the reason for the season. And I think that ultimately, this is what God calls me to do. And I'm very happy to do it.
Please remember that I’m following the Carols: A Christmas Devotional plan from The (free) Bible App. I invite you to join me, for 25 days, by commenting below - and inviting others too! ;)
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