I had the privilege of participating in an Advent Quiet Day last week. The focus of our quiet and meditation was the wise men that followed the star of Jesus. What an amazing illustration they were of our journey to eternal life and our need to exercise self-control in all aspects of that journey.
The 'magos' (in Greek) were those who have wisdom through investigation and interpretation of the heavenly bodies. (Holman Christian Study Bible Word Study) In the sky they saw a star, they were, after all, astrologers. That star became their fixed point. Now, the star was in the sky, so not a totally tangible fixed point but a fixed point nonetheless. I learned their journey had to have taken 18 months to 2 years due to the distance, mode of travel, passing of time as they met with Herod before setting out on the journey, etc. During that long period of time, I believe they were doing constant investigation, research and reflection on how that day's progress had moved them closer to their fixed point, the star. They would have had to chart their course for the day, determine where the star was in the sky, how that day's course had moved them forward, or not, and what the plan or course would be for the next day in order to continue to make progress toward their fixed point.
Imagine for a moment with me all the details that would go into a trip that would take 18 months to complete, and on camels no less! Imagine all the potential things that could have distracted them from their fixed point, the daily mundane things that could have taken their focus away from their investigation and research on their progress toward their fixed point. There had to have been at least one road that would not progress them toward the star, but that looked interesting and may have appeared to be worth a detour. There had to have been at least one day when they did not want to pick up camel poop and wanted to just stay where they were and give up on the journey. I mean really, camel poop for 18 months? Did it not take divinely-inspired self-control to not let the amount of potential distractions deter them from their fixed point?
God's desire for eternal life with Him is our fixed point, our star. Our daily walk is our journey; our investigation, our progress toward our fixed point. There are so many things in my life and in my kids' lives that threaten to distract us from our focus on that fixed point. We have to be diligent about our progress toward our fixed point and that, my fellow parents, takes divinely-inspired self-control.
Emma recently received her first cell phone as a birthday present. With that phone came a contract between Emma and my husband and I that provides clear guidelines for the use of that phone. Emma loves that phone. It is always close to her and some days it feels as if she uses it constantly. And, she has pushed the boundaries of the contract. This week I had to remind her of her contract and suggested she go back and re-read the contract so the guidelines and details were crystal clear in her mind. Her contract requires self-control. And the re-reading of the contract caused her to reflect on her adherence to the contract and the effectiveness of her self-control.
As we walk through our daily lives, how often each day, each moment, do we lose focus on our fixed point and how do we call on our divinely-inspired self-control to reset our focus on the star? Our contract is the bible, God's word. It is our blueprint, map, and contract for our journey to our fixed point. If we are tracking, investigating, and meditating on our progress toward eternal life, we are utilizing his word to check that progress and potentially changing our course for the next day or the next moment to refocus on our fixed point.
I want my kids to have a clear picture of their fixed point, their star and all that it entails to journey toward that star. So a couple days ago we talked about the wise men, their journey, the star, the camel poop, and how that relates to our challenge in life to show God's love and to engage self-control. As a memory point I gave them each a small wise men to carry in their pocket for the month to remind them of the journey they are on and how it requires self-control. Philippians 3:12-14 (HCSB) says, 'Not that I have already reached [the goal] or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus. we must be constantly looking forward and up toward our fixed point in order to maintain focus and remember where our journey is taking us, closer and closer to God.
It takes self-control, focus, commitment, investigation of the word, determination, perseverance, and many other things. I am encouraged so far by my kids excitement and use of their wise men and have enjoyed a couple sweet conversations about what it means to seek Him.
By His Grace
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