Click for audio: God’s Guiding Light
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him” (Matthew 2:1-2).
Much research has been done attempting to identify the star that guided the wise men to the birthplace of Jesus. As with other aspects of our Christmas story, we will find historical and spiritual components that are both fascinating and helpful. In keeping with our Christmas theme thus far, our focus will be on spiritual guidance.
It’s probably fair to say that one of the greatest difficulties people have with the notion of an indwelling Lord, an inner savior that awaits our recognition, is that this dimension is always with us but we do not see it. As we have seen, we are each endowed with the desire for greater freedom. We can think of this desire as a guiding star that leads us to our highest good.
In my book, The Complete Soul, I write about the dual role of the imagination. It has both receiving (intuition) and visualizing (intellectual) functions. I compare this to the digital camera that receives light through the lens and projects the image in the viewfinder. When you snap a picture, the image is stored in the camera’s memory and can be called to the viewfinder. It is also possible to upload the images of others into your camera’s memory and view them on your camera. It’s possible to have a camera full of unoriginal photos.
This is what happens in our consciousness. Our understanding of our spiritual journey is heavily influenced by the uploaded photos (ideas) of others. Though we find some of these photos beautiful, they do not give us the satisfaction that is uniquely ours. We see the star, we sense the promise it holds, but we are so fascinated with other people’s photos that we do not open our own intuitive shutter and follow it.
God’s guiding light has never left you. Think of the star as your call to greater freedom and the wise men as the innate wisdom of God in you that knows how to follow it.