She painted a picture with applesauce on my hardwood floor again. Then Baylor followed behind her licking it up.

She is now toddling off to wiggle some more to the music and wave her applesauce around like a lasso.

I probably should follow behind her with a wet rag, or take the snack away. But at this point, I need her to eat. I cannot nurse 432 times a day anymore (Okay, it’s really just 6 times…but still.) And dropping messy snacks is her new deal, and I’ve accepted it as part of my current normal.

Also, Baylor is auditioning for the role of “robot vacuum,” though he doesn’t seem to eradicate the fur as well as the vacuum might. We will see if Santa delivers on that one.

Summer’s new snack dropping habit is as beautiful as it is annoying. It’s only beautiful because God is using it to teach me.

If Summer sees a toy that she finds interesting, she drops her food, entranced by the toy, and makes a beeline for the item of interest.

One day I watched as she was double fisting a purée pouch and water. She saw a teddy bear out of the corner of her eye and literally dropped everything and ran to the bear and gave it the biggest hug. She forgot all about the snack and the bear took center stage for the remainder of the morning.

God began to speak to me about the star of Bethlehem, the star the Magi followed to find Jesus. The Scriptures say they were filled with joy and excitement at the site of the star. They dropped everything and locked eyes with that star, as they noted it was a sign that the King of Kings was born. They dropped everything and chased Him down to worship in His presence.

What dedication, what desperation, what tenacity. To drop everything and chase down this new King to which the star pointed. According to history, this may have taken them well over 1,000 miles and possibly 2 years.

They knew it was worth it.

They had eyes to see the star and they knew its meaning because it is what they studied. It was their profession. It was their hobby. It was astrology.

Much like Summer knows which toys are worth dropping her snack over, the wise men knew well which stars to commit to following.

Though there were countless astrological events during their lifetime, this one was worth their journey. It was worth a long hike through a desert.

Many of us struggle with rolling out of bed a bit earlier to meet with Him, choosing to join in spaces of corporate worship, or just choosing to spend time in the Scriptures over mindless internet scrolling. I know I do.

God is challenging me to have eyes to see when it’s worth it, and an appetite to respond accordingly. I want to chase down the King of Kings as the Magi did. I want to lace up my hiking shoes and pound down the trail in a desert, even if it takes two years.

I want to want to drop my snack.

So today I pray in this Advent season that the Lord will re-set my appetite. That He would reorient my grid for meaning and hunger for life. Praise Jesus the veil has been torn and I do not have to physically hike across a desert to worship at His feet. I can do that whereever I am whenever I want! Thank you, Immanuel.