Earlier today I was watching a video of some country stars singing "Silent Night." It was a beautiful rendition, but by the third verse I found myself critiquing nearly every thing the artists did. "She has too much twang here," "She should have let the other artist hit the high notes," "You know, I never really did like so-and-so very much anyways." By the end of the verse the realization hit me like a ton of bricks.
"Do you think HE cares?"
If the Savior were listening to these three women, would He care that one of their dresses was a bit drab? Would He care that the artists took a little liberty with the melody? Would He care if the harmony was predictable? No. No, I don't think He would.
I think, if He were in the audience that night, or if He were the one on the other side of my laptop, He mostly would have just been really grateful. He would have been really grateful that in the world of fame, fortune, and beauty, there were still these three women who really believed in Him, and despite the negative influences around them, loved Him enough that they wanted to use their careers to spread His message of peace and joy. He would have listened to that harmony, grateful that these women understood what He meant when He asked us to magnify our talents. As He watched the audience, He would be able to tell the moment that the Spirit had delivered the quiet assurance that this Christmas message was true. He would have already thought of all the times the video could potentially be posted online, and the influence it could have in that sphere.
And then the fourth verse started. Now, my pride having gone down quite a ways, I better appreciated the last verse. I was grateful to these women, and the way they had invited the Christmas Spirit into my morning. And so I give kudos to them. Way to #sharegoodness.
http://faithtap.com/2154/clarkson-yearwood-and-mcentire-sing-silent-night/
picture from http://www.pinterest.com/pin/281052832969678520/
