Showing Up With What We Have

Have you ever revisited a Christmas story from childhood and realized it still speaks to you, just in a different way?

The Little Drummer Boy has always been one of those stories. Simple. Quiet. Unassuming. And yet deeply moving.

What stands out most is not the music or the animation, but the posture of the boy himself. He has nothing to offer except what he already has. No gold. No gifts. No words. Just a humble heart and a willingness to show up. In that act of humility, something unexpected happens. His offering becomes enough, and in the process, healing takes place. Not just for his lamb, but for him as well.

That is a powerful reminder.

Life has a way of stacking negatives if we let it. Disappointments. Absences. Expectations that do not pan out. When we replay those narratives over and over, they start to shape how we see everything. This is often where discouragement settles in. Where the enemy finds room to work.

But like the Little Drummer Boy, when we turn our attention toward the light of God, things begin to shift. Not because circumstances magically change, but because our focus does. And that change in focus can change everything.

Holding onto that perspective matters. Negativity is persistent. It looks for an opening. Especially during the holidays, when expectations are high and reality often falls short.

Christmas is meant to be a celebration of love. Not the kind of love we manufacture, but the kind God gave when He sent His Son into the world. Born in a stable. Raised in humility. Living a life that showed us what love actually looks like. Leaving us with the Holy Spirit to comfort and guide us when things feel unsettled.

For many, Christmas does not look like the picture they imagined. Some chairs are empty. Some traditions feel different. Some hopes are deferred. And that can hurt.

But Christmas does not need to be picture perfect to be perfect.

Perfection was never the point. Presence is.

When we stop measuring the season by what is missing and instead give our attention to what is in front of us, something shifts. Love becomes active again. Gratitude finds space. Peace, even quiet peace, can settle in.

The Little Drummer Boy reminds us that letting go is often the doorway to love. We cannot change the past. We cannot control every outcome. But we can choose where we place our focus. Loving and serving God. Doing His will. Staying open hearted even when it would be easier to close off.

That choice is an offering. And it is enough.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for the simple stories that stay with us and continue to teach us. Thank you for the reminder that humility matters, that presence matters, and that keeping our eyes on Jesus changes how we see everything else. Help me to stay grateful for what I have been given. Guard my heart from old patterns and negative narratives. Teach me to trust You more fully and to walk in love, not expectation. I pray this in the name of Jesus, my Savior and Lord. Amen.