Lesson from the Shepherds

     So, have you ever read or heard something so often that you practically have it memorized, and then something new strikes you in a way you've never noticed before?  I had that this Christmas season, and wanted to share it with you.  It was really an encouragement to me...I hope it is to you as well!
 
     As a mom and a teacher, I have taught through or read through the Christmas story in the Bible a lot of times.  Kids memorize and learn through repetition, and this is one story I want to stick with the ones I come in contact with.  So every year in class we memorize a portion, and in the month of December I teach it through from Elizabeth to the flight to Egypt.

    This year as I was teaching, the thought struck me: why did God choose to announce the Messiah's birth to the shepherds first?  I mean, why not the faithful priests serving in the Temple?  Weren't they the ones who had been praying and looking for so many years?  What made these shepherds special?
   
     And then it hit me--maybe they weren't special.  Maybe they were just shepherds.  Shepherds doing their job in the tough season of the year.  Shepherds who had a spirit of obedience.  Shepherds who weren't afraid to sacrifice their comfort to get their job done.  Shepherds we can learn from.

    Let's face it, shepherding isn't a glamorous job.  I'm sure there were times that they really questioned their career choice.  Frustrating, complicated, stressful, smelly, tiring.  Kind of like being a parent.

    Maybe God chose the shepherds as a way to encourage us.   To remind us to keep being faithful doing the tasks He has called us to...no matter how unlovely they might be.  He chose to reveal His glory to a group of tired people in the middle of a field just doing their job the best way they could.  He saw their hearts.  He knew their spirits.

    And that's what I want.  God to reveal His glory to me in the middle of a stressful day.  When I'm tired, frustrated, and busy.  I want my heart to be open so that God can show me His plan and give me His peace.  Just like He came to the shepherds first.  Because He knew that they would be ready to stop what seemed important to be a part of what was important--God's plan and purpose in their lives.

    So, that's the new lesson I got from the familiar story this year.  Be faithful in the crazy, tiring, frustrating work God has called me to.  Because you never know when He will reveal His glory in the every day.  :)