By the way, I am moving next month…
By the way did you know that so and so is not happy with….
By the way did you hear that the church is….
By the way do you agree with what he did…
By the way is a phrase that is commonly used in everyday conversation.
In reading the Christmas Story a few weeks ago in church I couldn’t help but think did anyone have some by the way thoughts.
By the way Zechariah – you and Elizabeth will have a son and His name will be John. By the way Mary – you are going to be pregnant carrying God’s son. By the way Joseph you are going to be a dad to God’s Son. By the way smelly shepherds, you are going to Bethlehem to see a baby born in a manger. What were the outcomes of these by the way experiences? Did they cause joy, happiness or did they create dissension, negativity, disunity , disgruntled people.
For the everyday ordinary people, this Christmas story the conversations weren’t by the way experiences . These people took the conversations they had and made them healthy, positive, following the will of God without hesitancy or blaming.
How do those by the way experiences work out for us. Do we respond like Mary – I will be your servant God, Or like Joseph and take what seems an awkward situation and follow wholeheartedly Gods will. You see they found themselves in very weird times .
Today we find ourselves in allot of by the way experiences. And if we don’t keep them in check to be healthy and uplifting avoiding gossip and creating dissension our by the way experience will not turn out to Glorify God in the highest and certainly won’t bring peace, goodwill to men.
For me this Christmas I want to have the heart of each of these and especially the shepherds who were running to see Jesus and wanted to exclaim Him to the world.
