In my files is a list of “Life’s Unanswered Questions.” Can you answer these?
Why is it that rain drops but snow falls?
Why doesn’t glue stick to the inside of the bottle?
Why is the word dictionary in the dictionary?
Why can't they make the whole plane out of the same stuff as that black box?
For one question on the list, I think I know the answer: “Why do you turn the volume
down on the car radio when you are looking for a particular address?”
I know why I do that. The noise distracts me. If I’m listening to the radio instead of focusing on where I’m going, I may drive past my destination. In fact, sometimes, I get so distracted that I have to pull over to remember where I was headed!
Since I’m confessing to you, I’ll also admit that I have the same problem with living that I have driving. I’m easily distracted. The noise of life gets so loud that I forget where I’m going.
That’s especially true this time of year. There is the din of ads pitching every imaginable product “just in time for Christmas.” There are singing Santas on the self at the store and musical “trees” (Is green plastic with built in lights is really a tree?). The calendar shouts loudly this time of year, too. “Quick, off to grandma’s house for thanksgiving. Stop by the mall for the big sale. Bake some cookies for the party. Wrap those gifts. Clean the house for the guests.” It gets louder and louder as we move from holiday to holiday.
Amid the noise, here’s another important question: Does the noise of the season distract us from its purpose?
Is it possible to be thankful in a hurry? Can we count blessings if we are rushing through the season? Can the quiet, lowly birth of a savior be celebrated with a glitzy sale?
On a quiet, starlit night long ago, “there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night” (Luke 2:8). An angel appeared to them, then a whole chorus of the heavenly host, announcing the most important birth of human history.
And, there in that still night, they heard.
They heard! Because there was little noise to distract them, they were able to hear the herald angels sing.
Would we hear if the angels sang today? Should we turn down the volume to listen?
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