Merry Christmas! Little Drummer Boy!

Out of all the Christmas songs out there, my favorite is Little Drummer Boy. Now, before you chuckle too much, I'm being serious. It seems childish at first, but the song just has a simple truth running through it that I think Christians really often miss or just need reminding of. And I love to here it, sing it, and just be reminded of what my place is relative to my Savior. The song could be applied to our lives year-around. As a reminder here are the lyrics:

Little Drummer Boy: Lyrics
Come they told me, pa rum pum pum pum
A new born King to see, pa rum pum pum pum
Our finest gifts we bring, pa rum pum pum pum
To lay before the King, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,

So to honor Him, pa rum pum pum pum,
When we come.

Little Baby, pa rum pum pum pum
I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum
That's fit to give the King, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,

Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum,
On my drum?

Mary nodded, pa rum pum pum pum
The ox and lamb kept time, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my drum for Him, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my best for Him, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,

Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum

It seems as if every time I listen to it, my mind wanders into the scene of what the song presents, my heart softens, and my spirit just revels in the truth that is laid before me.

The first part of this song is from the perspective of possibly the wise men or some other "well off" group of people. They have heard that the new King, the real King, is born. They know that they need to go and see him and in honor of Him bring some really great gift. Typically, we know the wise men brought items of great value, as I'm sure many others did as well. That was the custom. Now, there is nothing wrong with this thinking or their action, but that is what they are bringing before the King.

The second part of the song swings over to this little boy. He has also heard of the King's birth and is going to see the King, too. In his mind he knows the traditions of what people brought before kings. But, he is poor. He doesn't have any item of great value to offer to Him. But, with his heart right before God, keeps going, and brings the best of what he does have.... his drum! He has probably had his drum for a long time and is one of the only things he has. In his mind, maybe he thinks, his drum is nothing special. Maybe, he thinks it's just an ordinary part of his life. But, it is all he has.

On arrival, he just goes for it. No matter what anyone else thinks in the group of people, he plays. All the women probably are thinking, "Awe, that is so precious." The men there are probably thinking, "Get that little boy out of here, he's not that good. Don't you know who you are playing for?" In his mind maybe he is still thinking, "This is not a proper gift or i'm not a professional drummer. But it is all I have, so I need to play.".....pa rum pum pum pum.....

He plays and plays, Mary and Joseph are into it. The animals are into it. And most of all Jesus as a little boy smiles. The King approves of his gift. A simple gift.

I know the story of the boy isn't necessarily true, even though the story of Jesus' birth is. But, the picture is profound. God calls us to bring what we have, to give OUR best, to honor him. We don't have to BE the best, just bring OUR best. There is no place for thinking, "Hey, there is someone else here who can do it better, so I will not give mine". I know in my life, I can easily fall into that way of thinking. Jesus is not concerned with comparing our gifts to the others. He wants us to bring all we have before Him. It's the heart that matters here and not the gift itself.

God gives all gifts that we can use to glorify Him(1 Cor. 12-13).Furthermore, He gave them to us for a reason. He wants us to actually use them(1 Peter 4) Now, at first we won't be so good at what we do, but as we practice and put it into play in our lives, we get better. And God wants us to give the best.

The church often misses opportunities to let someone give their best because they are only looking for THE best for certain things. There is room enough for all to give all of their best, no matter at what level. Don't be squandered, use it. No one gift is more important than another. The gold by the wise men is no better than the drum by the boy and vise versa, as long as the gift is given in full to glorify God and not yourself.

So, this Christmas, this year. Don't forget that God has given you talents, gifts, and place on this earth to glorify Him. Use these things for that the best that you can and you will be living out what God wants from you. Is it always going to be easy, no. But, that is what he wants.....pa rum pum pum pum....

Merry Christmas!!!!

As a side note: I have heard many, many versions of this song. My favorite(s) come from a band called Jars of Clay. In my opinion, it is just the best. They are an incredibly talented band, using their gifts in wonderful ways to glorify God and they just make good music!

I'm just sayin'