The late afternoon sun brought heavy beads of perspiration flowing down Edgar’s tired hot face. He was definitely feeling the weight of the load he carried upon his back. Shadows were beginning to lengthen; signaling the close of what had been a very long and arduous day. Edgar’s tired aching feet cried out for rest—they felt as though they had been walking for a month instead of days. Edgar had been carrying his cargo with an unusual sense of urgency. The load upon his back was heavy—and yet in a strange way in seemed very light!
The one who walked beside Edgar was again speaking; he spoke in a language unknown to Edgar—and yet somehow Edgar understood that this mission was one of greatest importance! Perhaps this feeling of importance and urgency was what kept the load upon Edgar’s tired back from feeling so heavy. Carrying loads upon his back was what Edgar did for a living—he had come to accept this way of life.
Edgar had hoped that he and his companion might reach the next town before the daylight surrendered to nightfall, but darkness was almost upon them. His shoulders were beginning to stiffen and his feet constantly reminded him just how long they had been walking in the desert sun. Edgar was used to traveling the dry arid roads, hearing only the strange language uttered by his companion—many times he wished he could fully grasp the meaning of this foreign tongue. So many languages are spoken in this world, Edgar thought; such a mystery. Although the one who accompanied him on this trip spoke in a tongue that was unknown to him, at times Edgar felt a bond of understanding in the words being said.
Darkness had covered the city like a vast velvet blanket by the time of their arrival. Edgar was very tired, thirsty and ready for a place to lay his weary body—he wanted to sleep for days! His traveling companion spoke with a man who stood in the doorway of a large building. They spoke for a short time—then Edgar watched as his traveling companion sadly lowered his head and turned away from the man in the doorway. His companion was speaking words that Edgar did not understand, but he sensed that he should follow him.
Edgar followed his traveling companion around the corner from the large building toward a smaller one in back. As they walked inside the door of this small building, Edgar became aware of a familiar smell—since the place was engulfed in darkness he couldn’t be sure what the source of the smell was. The traveling companion led Edgar to an area in one corner of the small room where he removed the great weight from Edgar’s weary back and gently placed the object on the floor. Grateful for the opportunity to rest, Edgar chose a spot nearby and was immediately captured by exhaustive slumber.
At some point in the wee hours of that night, Edgar awakened from his much-needed sleep feeling somewhat uneasy—he must have been dreaming—no, there was the sound again! It was a sound unlike anything Edgar had ever heard. He should be annoyed at whatever was disturbing his night’s rest; but somehow these were welcome sounds. In fact, these sounds were joyous. As tired as he was, they made Edgar feel extremelygood!
He lay still for a moment—listening to all these new sounds. Edgar became aware of a small patch of radiant light in the corner of the small room—he heard the voice of his traveling companion softly speaking to the “bundle” that he had removed from Edgar’s tired back when they had arrived. To Edgar’s astonishment, the “bundle” on the floor spoke in a language which sounded exactly like that of his companion from the road. Edgar gazed around the dimly-lit room and saw faces—some of which were like his own—their ears were big and floppy like his. What was this strange gathering—what was happening in this small room?
Edgar now recognized the familiar smell he had noticed when they had arrived—there was hay strewn all about the floor—his companion and the “bundle that spoke” were reclining upon the hay that all but covered the floor. There were other “creatures” lying all about the room—recognizable ones with wool-covered bodies—Edgar had seen many of them before. Then suddenly, but very quietly, these creatures filed by Edgar and some spoke softly in a language that Edgar fully understood—they were the creatures who resembled Edgar. They told him that he must have been found very special to have such an honor bestowed upon him. “What honor,” asked Edgar? “You have had the greatest honor that could ever be awarded to one of our kind—you, Edgar have borne a Heavenly Load,” they said.
Edgar again turned his head toward the corner where his road companion sat beside someone with long dark hair. He found himself mysteriously drawn toward this brightness across the room. This “someone” held a tiny baby—he had seen babies before, but somehow Edgar knew that this baby was no ordinary one—this child even had a special light that illuminated its precious face.
Edgar suddenly realized that he was kneeling before this tiny babe! An immediate sense of awe washed over Edgar as he gazed into the child’s sparkling eyes; he began to understand what his friends had been trying to tell him about his great honor—he had carried this special “bundle” along the hot dusty road to be born in this simple hay barn in the midst of these lowly creatures—some with long floppy ears—others with fuzzy faces, covered in wool. Somehow Edgar had been selected to carry this “load” upon his back; he now understood why the load had been both heavy and light. His burden was light because it was The Light!
