Purpose

It is easy to wonder what your purpose is sometimes, we most often define ourselves by the world’s standards of success, I sometimes find myself picking up blocks for the one millionth time and thinking remember that one time when you had a salon and a job…. yea that was some good times. Truth is purpose makes you feel worthy, but God does not discriminate according to your resume who he uses.. are you available?

My dear friend asked me to write my thoughts on the shepherds in the Christmas story recently, and somehow I looked at it in every way and could only see the technicalities. Maybe the shepherds were girls ( that was common) they were obviously dirty and smelling of animals, what made them worthy? Can you imagine when they saw an angel what they were thinking??? I might have run and hidden, then the sky filled with angels??? Then I thought well God probably chose the shepherds because they are a representation of what he does for us, leading, guiding, and rescuing. It wasn’t until later when I read the story again that I felt like I had missed it, the reason I had been asked to report on this particular story, I should have seen how the shepherds felt because well it mirrors my life in job description at least.

Shepherd by definition is a person who tends and rears sheep, guiding and directing them in safety and to meet their needs. It is a smelly job, isolated , very odd hours for a job and probably pretty thankless. I would imagine it is a job not highly required, I know you are thinking ” I didn’t know she had sheep??” I don’t but like the shepherd my job is full of odd odors, kinda isolated, and on call 24 hours, although I imagine my “sheep” are a little more opinionated than the ones who witnessed the angels that night. This little revelation led me to think about how I would have reacted to the good news….. and it looks a little like this

Am I the one you are supposed to be telling this world changing news too? Do I have time to shower before I go? Because it has been a day or two. Can I at least change my booger crusted shirt? The shepherds did not though, it says they went in haste, they didn’t ask a whole bunch of questions, who is gonna watch the “sheep” ?Should we rinse off in the creek? The other thing I wonder is when they told the good news of the baby they had seen to the towns people, what do you think the town thought? 3 dirty, smelly men who ran the streets yelling about a baby King???

All who heard it wondered at what the shepherds had told them, But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.

Luke 2:18-20

Mary however treasured their story and what a beautiful story – talk about a baby announcement- nobody can trump that one!

Well that concludes my thoughts on this because God used the Christmas story to make me feel worthy in my season, more treasured and less like a lowly shepherd- so I see you Momma in your tired state and a little smelly just focusing on keeping your sheep alive…..God sees you too. His purpose for you is perfect, and he created you just for this shepherd job to bring him glory by raising his sheep.