Soon after baby Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph went to the temple to consecrate Him to the Lord and to offer a sacrifice. And that is where this story begins..

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him that the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him into his arms and praised God, saying:
"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel." -Luke 2:25-32

Every Christmas morning, my family gets up and before we open presents, Daddy always reads us the story of Simeon. Every Christmas morning I look forward to hearing Simeon's story. Simeon is Daddy's favorite character in the Bible, and as a result has become one of my favorites as well.
Simeon was a man of God and he was so committed to God that the Holy Spirit was upon him. And because of his faithfulness, God promised him that he would not die until he saw baby Jesus.
We don't know much about Simeon.. we only know what is told in the short story in Luke. We don't know when the Holy Spirit revealed to him that he would see the Messiah before he did, we don't know his personal life, we don't know what he was like as a person. But I imagine that every morning after he knew he would see Jesus before he died, he probably woke up with anticipation, asking God if that was THE day. I can imagine that he probably always had his eyes out for THE One.
Because of his faithfulness, because the Holy Spirit was upon him, he went into the temple. Did he know what was going to happen that morning when he woke up? Did God tell him that this was going to be the day that he would see his Jesus? Or did he wake up that morning and feel led to go to the temple and was greeted by a beautiful and amazing surprise? The Bible doesn't say. It only says, "Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts."
And when Mary, Joseph, and Jesus arrived at the temple, was there a certain glow about them? Did they stand out from the crowd? Or did they look like everyone else there, but God just whispered to Simeon that that baby was the Messiah? We don't know all the details, we don't know how it all happened. But we do know that Simeon did as God asked of him, so he got to see the face of the One he had been waiting for. He was blessed with such a precious gift that very first Christmas.
But I can't help but think about what would have happened if Simeon hadn't gone into the temple that day. What would he have risked if he just never got out of bed that morning because he just didn't feel like it? What would've happened if he had missed Mary, Joseph, and Jesus that day? Would he have seen them another day? Would he have passed them in the streets another time? ..Or could he have missed his opportunity forever?
And what if Mary told the angel that she didn't want to have this Son of God the angel talked about? What if she was so scared about what others may think of her and treat her and as a result gave up the opportunity to bring Jesus into this world?
What if Joseph would've still chosen to divorce Mary as he had planned to do because he too was scared of what people may do or say?
What if Abraham told God he didn't want to pack up and move out to this unknown land he was headed? What if he had chosen his comfort and his pride over God's call? ...and what if he had just refused to offer Isaac because of his fear of failure on God's part? What if he had not had the faith to put Isaac on the alter as God had instructed him to? Would God still have blessed him in the way He promised He would? Or would Abraham have just missed it completely?
The list could just go on and on...

I think about (and maybe others do too..) and question all these things about them because they changed the history of the world. They were the ones written about for all to read about and to learn from. But why don't we question the very same things of ourselves?
We (well, at least I..) expect so much of them, but not much of myself. We (or I..) read those stories and think well, of course they did that because that was the right thing to do and it was what God was telling them to do. But.. why don't I expect that much from myself?
I go through everyday, trying to do "my best" for God. I try to do ask He asks me to, even when it's hard. I try to live to please Him and to please others. I try to "do good" in what I do. But is that enough? Is that all that I should be expecting of myself?
No, it is not.
I should expect more from myself. Because if I don't trust Him and follow Him in the little things every day, how am I to expect Him to do big things through me in the future?
Tonight in family devotions, Daddy pulled out his guitar and we sang the words:
"How great is our God. Sing with me how great is our God and all will see how great, how great is our God." -How Great Is Our God.
Am I truly singing about how Great our God is in everything I do? Am I doing everything I do in His love? Am I living every moment for Him?
Because if I'm not living every moment for Him, will I miss seeing my Jesus? Will I give up having God's Son for my own comforts and pride? Will I miss what God has for me in the future because I'm living for me? Will I give in to whatever I think will make me happiest at the moment instead of surrendering to Him and letting Him have His way in me?
Am I willing to let down all those people in Africa who are desperately needing my help, even though right now I may not know them or know how to help them? Am I willing to risk failing my future children and (if it's God's Will) my future husband? Am I willing to risk it all just for the comfort and pride of me?
If someone was to ever ask me this question, I would no doubt tell them no! I would without hesitation tell them that I could never do that to anyone and that I would never do that to anyone. But they say that actions speak louder than words, right?
In all honesty, I have not lived this way. I have not given every moment to Him. I have not surrendered to His Will for me in certain areas of my life, and as a result haven't been moving toward His plan for my future. Somedays I remember and live it for Him. Somedays I feel filled with His grace and love and have faith and hope in what is to come. But there are other days that I live for me. There are other days where I choose my own comfort. And though it really hurts to say, somedays I choose to fail everyone who is/will be counting on me in the future.
So the question I leave for all of you (and for myself) is: Are you willing to walk right past your Jesus and fail His plan for your future? Or are you going to walk hand-in-hand with God every moment as He leads you to your "Jesus"?
I cannot and will not deny the truth that I will fail Him. I will have times where I choose me instead of choosing Him. I know that I won't be able to get it perfect because I know that I am not perfect. But I am going to expect more of myself. I am going to try to live every moment for Him so I won't miss what He has for me. I will try to live in the here and now to not miss a single moment in His arms..

"Oh, tragedy has taken so many
Love lost 'cause they all forgot who You were
And it scarfes me to think that I would choose my life over You
Oh, my selfish heart divides me from You, it tears us apart
So tell me, what is our ending?
Will it be beautiful, so beautiful?
Oh, why do I let myself let go
Of hands that painted the stars and holds tears that fall
And the pride of my heart makes me forget
It's not me but You who makes the heart beat
I'm lost without You, You're dying for me
So tell me, what is our ending?
Will it be beautiful, so beautiful
Will my life find me by Your side?
Your love is beautiful, so beautiful
At the end of it all, I wanna be in Your arms..."
-Beautiful Ending, by BarlowGirl