Have you ever felt a nudge to step into the unknown, a whisper from within urging you toward something greater—something unseen yet profoundly real?
However we view the birth story of Jesus in the bible, either as fact or a dramatic ancient tale, it is a wonderful example of the hero’s journey that can inspire our own journey. Every character in the story is challenged to move beyond the ordinary, out of their comfort zones, in order to take part in something extraordinary. Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, each called to a journey filled with danger and promise.
We too experience the tension between motivation and trepidation when faced with our own callings. These callings simultaneously ignite our passions and stir our fears, as the invitation to discover a deeper dimension of ourselves is both risky and uncertain in its outcome.
We may not have experienced an angel’s visitation announcing God’s plan for our lives, like Mary did, but we have all felt those quiet, intuitive nudges—calling us out of the slumber of forgetfulness and urging us to embrace a higher way of living.
So often, our journey to uncharted territory is instigated by setback and loss, when our familiar identity is shattered by life changes, and it becomes clear we cannot stay in the same habitual pattern any longer.
We may have never been guided by a star in the sky, like the shepherds, but we’ve all been compelled by a passion to live more authentically, to bear witness to and navigate by the light of truth within us.
What determines whether these callings lead us to an extraordinary life event or merely momentarily quickens our pulse, is how we respond to the challenges that confront us along the way. Mary was afraid. When told Spirit had plans to do something magnificent through her, she reacted with disbelief and unworthiness. Ultimately, she surrendered and offered willingness to be used for God’s purposes, despite what it would mean for her.
The decision would have repercussions: she would be judged and outcast by her community, her betrothed would be shocked, and she would have a baby with no explanation. Against a noisy backdrop of rational objections to the plan, she moves forward, because the Divine calling is more compelling than the sum of her fears.
And the wise men, surely did not want to ride blindly across the desert after a star ....surely they had other plans!
Like Mary, we may doubt our worthiness, and like the shepherds, we may be hesitant to follow the light. Yet, faith calls us to trust in what we cannot yet see—a promise planted deep within us.
We can decide, as these characters did, to trust the process and rely on the divine promise that has stirred us, to overpower the inertia of our fears and move us forward. We are all on a hero’s journey, with pivotal moments when divine discontent won’t leave us alone and we know we are being called to something higher, greater, more authentically us.
If we allow this feeling to consume us, we can prevail against the dragons of fear and self-doubt. In such rare moments, we can believe that something extraordinary is possible for us. To allow Spirit to move through us is to open ourselves to transformation, to say yes to a calling greater than our fears.
Jesus’ life and teachings are a testimony to the new life that is seeded in each one of us. It also testifies to spiritual life being a journey. As much as we would like Christ awareness handed to us like the proverbial bundle of joy, in a sudden birth of enlightenment, for most of us it seems to come at the end of a journey.
Faith isn’t simply a solitary act of courage. It is an alignment—a partnership with Spirit that carries us when we feel we cannot move forward alone.
May this story of old, and this season of remembering the Christ, encourage you to listen attentively and deeply to Spirit’s call. Like the characters in the nativity, it really comes down to being willing to just play your part in the story. May you have the courage and faith to follow the divine plan for your life.
Do not be disillusioned by appearances. The night may be long, dark and cold, and the odds of success may seem remote, but the promise of extraordinary possibilities will be fulfilled as you remain willing to stay the course. Your willingness to move forward, joined with God’s promise will surely magnify your soul, and lead you to the scene of new life.
This season, as you reflect on the nativity, ask yourself: What is the divine calling in your life? What extraordinary possibility is waiting for your yes? Trust that even in the darkest night, the light is leading you toward new life.
Namaste,
Rev. Larry
Thank you❤️