Column: Minor characters, major implications

Hey friends! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! If you're one of the fortunate ones (like me) who get to enjoy time off through the weekend, let's bask in the beauty of family and relaxation...and food. =) Hashtag: I went there.

I'll be honest; you've probably already heard what I have to say in this week's column. But I explain my reasoning and want to share the truth that was shown to me by the Father. Read it, share it and again, thank you for reading!

Original publication date: Friday, December 26, 2014 
Random Writer 
Minor characters, major implications 

I have to admit to you, that even though I'm a writer, I really don't like reading. (This is a misconception many people have as I usually get asked if I enjoy reading once I've told them I write for a newspaper.) I have no problem checking out online news articles and I love reading blogs, but I lost my love for reading when the number of pages I read depended what grade I got. As a result, I made my first C in eighth grade.

But when I do find a great book that I can dive right into (especially Nicholas Sparks books, I'll admit that), a lot of times my fascination with the minor characters gets the best of me. While they don't necessarily drive the story, a lot of what happens with these secondary characters plays a role--sometimes in a major fashion--to the course of the overall book.

And I know that Christmas was yesterday, but I'm going to camp out on the Nativity story for just a day longer. Because for the past couple of years now, two folks have always stood out to me but have never really been pointed out, even if their appearance in the Scriptures comes after the birth and after the shepherds worshipped the Baby Jesus.

In this part of the story, we're eight days past the birth of the Christ-child and He's already been presented in the temple. This is when our first character enters the scene.

In Luke 2:25, we meet Simeon, a devout man who had the Holy Spirit upon him. But Simeon carried a prophecy with him: that he wouldn't die until he saw the Baby. So the Spirit led him into the temple, and instantly Simeon took Jesus in his arms and praised God, as he spoke of the fulfillment of God's promise and how Jesus would not only pave the way to salvation for the Israelites but also to the Gentiles.

But also in the temple is minor character #2, an old prophetess named Anna. After only being married for seven years, her husband died, and for the next 84 years she was a widow. But as a result, she was able to stay at the temple and worship God. Verse 38 in Luke 2 is where these two met up with Mary and Joseph, and she praised God and shared with others how He would redeem Israel.

I love their stories, although they're rather short. But within their respective role, I believe Simeon and Anna can teach us so much.

Simeon, for once, had a very special attribute: the leading of the Holy Spirit. We know this because we can look in John 14 when Christ, in the midst of His earthly ministry 30 years later, tells the disciples that the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, would come following Christ's death, resurrection and ascension.

He also had the promise of death. He knew that, in the moment that He would come face-to-face with Baby Jesus, his life would soon be over. But when that instance occurred, he proclaimed the Lord with words that foretold the life Jesus would live and the impact He would have.

Anna, on the other hand...you could say that she had been dealt a rough hand in life. She was married seven years and lost her husband, which would be hard. But because of that sad ordeal, God used it for good--as He does in many situations--for His glory to be shown. The Scripture says that she was able to use that time worshiping God in the temple. Would she have been able to do that if her husband had been alive? I'd venture to say, no.

But in the overall picture, these two people praised God. And that says a lot about how we should live our lives. No matter what situation we're put in, no matter how life might play out, and no matter what we know (or don't know), we shouldn't let those things dictate our relationship with Him.

If we were like Simeon, living with the understanding that our lives would end once a particular instance happened, a lot of us would do our own thing and leave God completely out. Others might live their life in fear, afraid to do anything. And if our lives played out like Anna, to where we lost our husband, many of us might be bitter with God and wonder in disbelief how we could spend time praising Him after He allowed our spouse to be taken away.

This is a hard concept to grasp, because there are some days when I fall short in it. But our circumstances and emotions can't get the better of us. We have to not only comprehend it, but live under the notion that God is in control of everything, and that in one way or another He will be glorified. It's something we have to remind ourselves about not just daily but in each moment. And if we start doing that, His peace will surpass our own understanding, and that's a wonderful place to be.