The Drummer Boy's Best

Normally, I'm not overly fond of Little Drummer Boy, partly because it's not as good as What Shall We Give, which teaches mostly the same message, partly because I have a hard time picturing a drummer boy in a nativity scene, and partly because I feel like there's a verse missing between the first and second verses, one that would show the wise men giving Jesus their fine gifts, with the drummer boy starting to feel nervous and/or inadequate.

Come they told me, pa rum pum pum pum

A new born King to see, pa rum pum pum pum

Our finest gifts we bring, pa rum pum pum pum

To lay before the King, pa rum pum pum pum,

rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,

So to honor Him, pa rum pum pum pum,

When we come.

Baby Jesus, pa rum pum pum pum

I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum

I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum

That's fit to give the King, pa rum pum pum pum,

rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,

Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum,

On my drum?

Mary nodded, pa rum pum pum pum

The ox and lamb kept time, pa rum pum pum pum

I played my drum for Him, pa rum pum pum pum

I played my best for Him, pa rum pum pum pum,

rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,

Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum

Me and my drum.

I heard this song recently on the radio, and that one line stood out to me, "I played my best for Him." The idea is that we, like the drummer boy, have nothing of sufficient value to offer Jesus to repay Him for everything He did and does for us. The little drummer boy answered this problem by simply doing what he could for Jesus, and notably, he did it to the best of his ability.

We can never repay God or Jesus. King Benjamin made that fairly obvious in his address to his nation. But we should do what we can to serve God and Jesus, and we should do it with all our hearts. God does sometimes ask us to do (or not do) things for His sake. Sometimes, those requests are called "commandments," other times, they're called "callings." Whatever God asks us to do, we can be sure of two things: first, that is what God wants us to do, and second, we have, or will be given, the ability to do it. There are some things we can't do for God, but we should do what He asks us to, and out of love for Him and Jesus, we should to it as well as we can.

Some commandments are clearly spelled out in black and white. Thou Shalt Not Kill, for example, is pretty much cut and dry. Other commandments are a little bit fuzzier. We're commanded not to watch bad movies, and certainly R-Rated movies are too bad for us to watch, but what about PG-13 movies? Are they okay? Are they all okay? Are any of them okay? Does it matter what they got their PG-13 rating for? Sometimes, we have to use our own judgement. God's standards are different enough from the world's standards that we should probably use our own judgement anyway, but the real questions isn't where, exactly, the line is drawn, but where we plan to be in relation to that line. If we're asking us how much violence, swearing, and suggestive content can be in a movie without the movie being too bad for us to watch, we're asking the wrong question, and if we get an answer, we might keep the letter of the law, but we won't be keeping the spirit of the law.

The same go with callings. We could ask what the job requirements are, then do that and say that we've done our job, or we could ask God what else He'd like us to do to magnify our callings, in addition to the bare minimum of what's expected of us. If you're already doing that, then don't take this as a call to repentance, but if you feel like you should be doing more, please ask God whether that's Him trying to prompt you or Satan trying to overwhelm you. Either you'll get more clear instructions as to what God wants you to do, or you'll get a peaceful assurance that you're already doing it.

The little drummer boy must have felt badly for having so little to offer Jesus, but when he offered that gift from the bottom of his heart, Jesus accepted it. We don't have much that we can do for Jesus, but He knows that, and He doesn't ask for any more from us than what we, with His help, can give. He just asks that we give of ourselves willingly, and not try to hold back. When we do what we can, and do it prayerfully, He'll let us know that it's enough.