Seeking the Baby Jesus

Merry Christmas. Merry means full of mirth and cheer--how perfect an emotion to sum up the season. I am lucky enough to be home for Christmas--everyone's secret wish. The flight over was kind of a pain but it was worth it to hang out with my favorite people on the planet. My nephew is just old enough to have a lot of fun with Christmas, though he still didn't understand why it was fun to cover up his toys with wrapping paper instead of just let his mom give them to him. It was also fantastic to be at home--to be here where I can be just me unabridged and unfettered. It is both refreshing and a little frightening, but being surrounded by my siblings and parents is a beautiful and happy thing.

This Christmas I have thought a lot about the wise men who sought the baby Jesus. They had spent a lifetime studying and learning about the prophesied Messiah. They devoted time, means, and countless energy to learn about and find him. What a glorious emotional moment that must have been all those years ago when their efforts were rewarded with the star--the beacon of hope that was physical proof that their energies had not been in vain. I can only imagine the joy and faith such a site must have inspired. It always impressed me that after a lifetime of research, searching, prayer, and faith they presented their gifts--perhaps all they had to offer--at the feet of their king and they returned to their everyday lives somehow never to be the same. Maybe the fact that I feel like I long for a better relationship with my Savior, or perhaps the fact that I do not always know how exactly to present an acceptable offering, or maybe simply that I seek for some indication that I am on the correct path to find my Savior, but no matter what it is the story of the wise men from the East has taught me a lot this year. Perhaps in 2014 I will better be able to find my Savior, and by so doing find myself.