I was in a meeting recently that started with an ice breaker where each person gave their name and favorite Christmas song or movie. I, of course, was chosen to go first and with only seconds to prepare I shared the only thing in my head: My favorite Christmas song is Little Drummer Boy.
Later I was reminded, by someone I shared that story with, that many people find Little Drummer Boy annoying.
I suppose it’s the “Pa rum pa pum pum” that follows nearly every line of the song that drives some folks nuts, but it is the lines in between that make the song for me.
I have no gift to bring…
That’s fit to give a king…
Shall I play for you…
Mary nodded…
The ox and lamb kept time…
I played my drum for him…
I played my best for him…
Then he smiled at me…
Me and my drum…
This fictional and beautiful scene has meaning well beyond what I understood until recently. The drummer has nothing he thinks is a worthy gift for a king, so he offers what he has. He offers his ability to play his drum. He likely has practiced and refined his talent for hundreds of hours for him to choose this activity over all the others he could have chosen when searching for something to do for the King. And then he plays his best for the King. When he is done the King smiles at him – both him and his drum.
How can we put ourselves into this scene not only this Christmas but also every day of our lives? I don’t play drums very well, but I do have other talents and so do all of us. They all may seem like inadequate gifts for the King of Kings, but they are what he gave us to use in his service. What raw gifts have we been given that we are refining for Him? We can all play our metaphorical drums/talents every day for him. We can play our best for Him. It brings me to tears to think about a job well done in service of the King and Him smiling at us. Us and our drums.