The road to Bethlehem is littered with signs. The sky shines with glittering stars and the winds blow in the direction of peace. When the infant Jesus is born, He cries into the night to announce His love for the world. When the people hear, they know that something has changed, something has shifted – and, in the process, the world has consented to never being the same again.
What you do on the road to Bethlehem is less important than who you become. When you try to stop and catch your breath after so much walking, you may discover that the things in your heart are a little lighter, a little less cumbersome than before. It doesn’t matter that you haven’t gotten rid of them all; GOD only asks that you let Him carry the load with you, so that, when the crises of life become too heavy to bear, you will remain upright, untoppled by despair, moving forward as the North Star summons you into the secret depths of her favorite Child’s birthing-place.
And when at last you reach His stable, remember that nothing there is profane. Even the hay in the manger shimmers with light. So remove your shoes, take off your cloak, and bow down your head in silent praise.
In the quiet that ensues, surrender your spirit to the stillness and let your heart be pierced through with love. For how can you harden yourself to the Beauty that calls you by name, so softly and sweetly, on this holiest of winter nights?