Follow the Wise Men

I wonder how far the wise men had to travel to get to Bethlehem. Probably quite a way. I wonder how long the journey took them and exactly when they left. These questions are purely academic; it doesn't really matter, but still, I wonder.

Since we don't know the wise men's origin, we have no idea what the distance was between their homes and Bethlehem. Since we don't know the distance or the rate of their travel, we don't know how long the journey took them. And since we don't know how long the journey took them or exactly when it ended, we have no way of knowing when they left.

But for all that we don't know about these men and their journey, I still find it fairly easy to attach spiritual meaning to it. Or perhaps it's because we know so little about their journey that I find it easy to relate it to ours.

One thing about the wise men is that their journey started long before they left their homes. It started as they read the scriptures and learned the prophesies about Christ's birth. It started when they decided to go see the Christ child and when they first started preparing to go.

Like them, our journey starts or started as soon as we decide it does. It starts when we decide where we want to go and start making preparations to get there. Essentially, it starts as soon as we want it to, and optimally, we should start as soon as possible, if we haven't already.

The wise men left their homes months before the sign of the star was given. They acted on faith, using as much knowledge and inspiration as they had to make whatever progress they could while waiting and watching for further, more specific guidance from God.

Similarly, we shouldn't wait until we're told exactly what we should do. We should use whatever knowledge and wisdom we have to do the best we can until God gives us further directions. Naturally, that means that we may be going in a slightly different direction than God wanted us to go, but the wise men probably made a slight course correction, too, when they saw the star. We need to be brave enough to do our best, but still humble enough to admit that God's way is better, and to follow His path, once He shows us where it is.

One final thing is that the wise men didn't stop following the star until they found Jesus. New Years is a great time to make resolutions, just so long as they are resolutions, not just dreams or ideas of things we might think about doing. The term Resolution shares a root word with Resolute. We should be resolute,  determined, and unwavering as we follow our worthy goals. We may have to make course corrections sometimes, if we find that our current goals aren't all that they should be, but we should never quit or give up on a worthy goal. The wise men didn't, and they never would have seen Jesus if they had.

Like the wise men, we have a long way to go. We might have an idea of what we want or what God wants for us, but for some of us, that idea might be pretty vague. That's alright. Head ing that general direction, and while you're traveling, read God's word and look for signs He might want you to follow. Don't turn back. The journey is long, but the destination is worth reaching. Follow the wise men's example and follow the star.