The Little Drummer Boy and Me

One of my favorite Christmas songs is The Little Drummer Boy.  I used to think this song was more for children because it’s about a young boy. Yet I’ve come to realize that this song is as much for adults as it is for children because of its message.

Granted, the song is about a fictional character, and the idea that a small boy showed up in the stable (or even in a house in Bethlehem) to play a drum for the Baby is unlikely.

So, while many songs talk about the specifics of the Christmas story, this one doesn’t deal with the actual events.  It does, however, deal with an issue of the heart.

It’s the story of a young boy who wanted to join others in a visit to the Baby, but he had nothing to bring.  He recognized the Child as the King, and he wanted to present a gift to show Him his love.That little boy could have stayed behind.  He could have refused to visit because he didn’t have anything to bring, yet he came.  I like to think he came because he realized that, even though he had nothing to bring, he would be bringing the ultimate gift when he gave what he had for the infant Jesus.Was the young boy a shepherd child asked to come with the other shepherds when they journeyed to the stable to see the young Baby?  Or could he have been a lad who traveled with the Magi, bringing gifts?  Whoever “they” are, he was asked to participate in bringing “our finest gifts.”He comes, but he doesn’t have a gift.  So he explains that he, also, is a poor boy.  He has no gift that he can bring fit for a King.  Oh, but he does have a gift, and he decides to share it with the Child.When he arrives at the feet of the Child, he simply asks, “Can I play for You –  on my drum?The nod of the Baby King’s mother is enough to give him permission to play.  He does what he, apparently, can do well. The drummer boy plays his drum.  He plays his best because this is for the King! The song has a message for all of us:  when you think you don’t have enough money or enough time or enough talent, you still go.  You still give.  Even when you think you have nothing to give, you find something that you can do, and you find a way to give what you do have.Everybody has a gift, a talent, ability, or a place.  When there is a need or emptiness somewhere, find that one thing you can do.  Then give from the person you are.  Give what you have instead of hoarding it for yourself or your family.

That’s what the little drummer boy did. He had a drum and he knew how to play that drum.  It might not have been with finesse, and it might  not have been professional.  He could play that drum, so he brought the drum and he played a song for the Baby to honor Him.  It wasn’t about the drum, the song, or the drummer; it was about the gift and the Baby.

And, at the end of the drum presentation, when the gift had been unwrapped and presented with total abandonment, the Baby smiled.  He smiled at the boy who had brought his drum and played his song.

My heart resonates with this little guy who, like the rest of us, feels he has nothing significant to bring.  We think:  Others have gifts more rare, more precious, more special and more noticeable than any I could bring.  This little guy helps me remember that it doesn’t matter what others are bringing or what others are doing.  The only thing the Baby asks is that I bring what I have; that I do the best – the very best – I have, for Him.   Then I, too, will feel the warmth of His smile.