I know it’s not Christmas

I know it’s not Christmas

When I was a kid we used to make fun of some of the Christmas songs that were sung. One of them was Good King Wenceslas” and our favorite phrase was “Good king Wenceslas looked out on his feet uneven!” For some reason that song has stuck with me and I find myself singing it from time to time, smiling when I do. It wasn’t until years later I found out about the man himself.

Although Wenceslas was, during his lifetime, only the Duke of Bohemia (907 – 929), the Holy Roman Emperor (Otto I) posthumously “conferred on him the regal dignity and title” and that is why, in the legend and song, he is referred to as a “king”. He had worked diligently to unify Bohemia and develop peaceful relations with Germany in addition to strengthening the Christian community. His brother (Boleslav) plotted against him and had him killed on his way to Mass at the age of 22.

This popular Christmas carol tells a story of Wenceslas going on a journey and braving harsh winter weather to give alms to a poor peasant on the Feast of Stephen (December 26th). During the journey, his page is about to give up the struggle against the cold weather, but is enabled to continue by following the king’s footprints, step for step, through the deep snow. He has set a path for others to follow and that was the reasoning behind the song.

He was considered a martyr and a saint immediately after his death when a cult of Wenceslas grew up in Bohemia and in England touting him as a “righteous king” or a monarch. The reasoning what that his power originated in his great piety and service to peace and his faith. He became so popular that several centuries later the legend was claimed as fact by Pope Pius II, who himself walked ten miles barefoot in the ice and snow to emulate him.

Regardless of the time of year when Wenceslas comes to mind I think about the value of an individual and how their lives can have impact on others through decades as well as centuries. It reminds me of the beggar that Christ healed of blindness (John 9:1 – 3) whose only notoriety in life was this single incident. Wenceslas achieved something in 22 years that many of us may never achieve. Yet the opportunity is always there and before us.

Here’s what we don’t understand. The eternal word and the universal understanding that all of us will possess during eternity is being written right now with our every act and deed. We don’t have to be a king or dignitary to qualify for an entry into this journal. Everyone who is a member of the Kingdom will have their own story which will be unique to themselves. The story will be told over and over again through knowledge transfer whenever we meet another member of the Kingdom. Their story will be one different from yours, yet just as valuable as it pertains to eternity.

Why do I share this thought today? Well it may not be Christmas, but it may be the day that your footprints in the snow or the path that you lead for others to follow may make a profound difference in someone else’s life – like Wenceslas is doing for you and me today. You may never know about someone who observed your act of kindness or words of encouragement, but it does not mean that it did not make a difference. It will probably be passed on to someone else who will do the same. That is why God says he will bless those that love Him up to a 1000 generations, because they are passing on His heart. Yet he will only cause the sins to be passed on the 3 – 4 generations. I like those odds and you and I are the natural winners.

Where did you leave your footprints today?

Love Dad

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