If Only I Had Known!

I nodded my head in agreement so she could continue her story. “Let me tell you what he did. When he saw that baby, he went to the mother and father, took the baby, and then he prayed for the Lord to take him home, because he said he’d seen God salvation!” Could this really be, I wondered? Her story seemed unbelievable, yet she was convinced of its validity. I still wasn’t ready to believe yet, though. With a wave of my hand, I dismissed her, and told her that the old man was crazy. I ordered her to forget the nonsense, and bring my meal, so I could eat and go to bed. She looked disappointed when she turned away, and I felt a tinge of regret for treating her that way. I told her I was sorry, that I was just tired. She set my food in front of me, and I could tell she was disappointed. That night, as I lay in bed beside her, I found many things running through my mind. What if everything she was saying was true? If they were, then I needed to come to grips with it. However, I still could not understand how the Messiah could be born in Bethlehem.

I told you all of this to tell you now what has just happened. I still can’t believe I missed it, still can’t believe that I didn’t put it all together. Yesterday, I was wrapping up the job I had done for a friend. It was early in the evening, just after sundown, and I had just packed up all of my tools. I was re-inspecting my work by torchlight to make sure it was just as my friend had wanted. About that time, he came out and walked over where I was. He complimented me on the fine job, and told me how pleased he was with the work. Then he paid me, we said our goodbyes, and I stopped to pick up my tools.

When I did, one of the coins slipped from my hand into the soft dirt. I knelt down to look for it, knowing full well I could not afford to lose a coin. As I was bending over, I realized that there was some commotion going on in the street. Gazing upward, I saw an incredible sight. A somewhat large caravan was riding through the street of Bethlehem! I stood up to get a better look at this amazing spectacle. Camels and donkeys bedecked in some of the finest gear I’d ever seen! And the men riding them were foreigners, who appeared to have come a long way on their journey. Bethlehem had never seen anything like this before! It was like a parade! People were coming out of their houses to gaze.

That’s when I realized that people were pointing up into the night sky. I couldn’t see what they were pointing at because of the mayor’s house in front of me, so I stepped out a little more into the street to look in the direction they were pointing. That’s when I saw it! This big, bright light up in the sky! At first I thought it was just a bright star, but then I realized that it was moving, that’s right, moving! The caravan seemed to be following it, watching its every move. And then it stopped, right above a house just down the street.

Now I’ve got to tell you, I was very mystified at this point. Who were these men, where were they from, and why were they here? And what was that light that was leading them? And why did it stop at that house? But I was too tired to go with the crowd and determine what was going on. So I tiredly made my way to my house. As I had expected, my wife was not to be found. At least she’d had the foresight to leave my supper, so that it would be warm when I arrived. I put my tools away, fixed my plate, and sat down for my meal. I had just put everything away when my wife ran breathlessly through the door.