If you are like me, you have whiled away precious hours going down the addictive rabbit hole of Instagram reels. I have a penchant for cute puppies, people dancing and for some reason, sweet moments between Prince William and Princess Kate.
But this week a random reel caused me to catch my breath. It shows a precious little English boy revealing to his mum the “classic” part he will be playing in the upcoming Nativity play. I’ve posted the link below.
Here is a recap: In the cutest British accent ever, little Milo tells his mother that he has been given a classic part.
“Really?” responds Mum. “Is it Joseph?’
“No,” he responds, eyes dancing.
“Um, one of the three wise men?”
“No.”
“Then tell me!” Mum says, the suspense growing.
With barely contained excitement, Milo beams: “I’m door holder number 3! I’ll be holding the door for Joseph and Mary!
“Amazing!” says Mum. “Were you pleased?”
Milo nods. “When I heard it,” he continues, “I was like, yes, I’m a door holder. Let’s get in there, yes.”
And then, as if putting the icing on the cake, Milo adds, “And I will have to wear like, brown!”
All week I have smiled as this clip has played through my mind. But Milo’s childlike enthusiasm over being ‘Door Holder #3’ has also given me pause.
If I was being cast in this Nativity play, would I be this excited over the door holder part?
I find myself wanting to be the lead role too often. I want to be the narrator, or Mary with the doll baby wrapped in her arms, or at least an angel dressed in white. Wearing brown and opening the door for the stars to walk through? Surely that would not be a good use of my God-given talents.
I don’t like this trait in myself. I yearn to have the heart of little Milo. I want to see the importance of every action that moves Mary and Joseph toward that stable in Bethlehem so that the Christ Child can be born.
In the comments for the reel, someone said:
Listen, if the door ain’t open they can’t get in, so this role is pivotal in the story.
So true.
So how do I get to the place where I feel pumped for participating in even the most mundane parts of the story? Just as I said in my last post about feeling contented during the holidays, I need to admit that I cannot get there on my own.
Paul talks in Galatians about crucifying our will to that of Christ, so that, as the Message says, my ego is no longer central. (Gal. 2:20) He goes on to say:
It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.
(Gal. 2: 21, MSG)
If I try to follow these verses, my goal is to be so full of the Holy Spirit that I have no desire or need to impress anyone. My ego would no longer be central. I would be contented to be like one of the many necessary players in the Bethlehem story who led Mary and Joseph to the stable, fed the donkey, brought fresh swaddling clothes, and later let the shepherds in to see the young family.
To be so Christlike that I am thrilled to be door holder #3 — not even door holder #1! — and to wear brown.
My prayer this week is to be able to say from my heart:
“I’m a door holder. Let’s get in there, yes.”
Under the Magnolia Tree 
What a great story, Millicent. I will definitely have to admit, I would not have been excited about being door Holder number three. I’m so glad you were able to share the story with us too. Little Milo is just too precious and his mum responded perfectly. Thank you so much for sharing. Here’s to becoming a better door holder number three not for this season, but for the rest of our lives.
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Yes! Let’s get to it!😊
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