The Shepherds In The Field

Imagine being a shepherd in ancient Israel: Your job is mundane, dirty, and maybe even a little frightening. You are out in the wilderness, away from any town, the only light you see at night comes from the fire around which we are huddled and the moon hanging overhead.

With the small field of vision, you’re supposed to not only keep track of the sheep but also protect them from any attacks.

Suddenly, you see a supernatural brightness- “the glory of the Lord” blinding you and there’s someone there, unlike anything you’ve seen before. Perhaps you immediately recognize that it’s the angel of the Lord, or maybe you are so confused that it takes a minute to sink in that this being is from the heavenly realm. Either way, you are so awe-struck that the angels first words are, “Do not be afraid.”

He says “Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be for all people. For these is one born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this is a sign for you. You will find a Baby wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger.”

I often wonder if the shepherds fell to the ground during this overwhelming experience. We know they were in fear, but can you imagine the flood of emotions they felt as they realized that the angel of the Lord was proclaiming the good news of the arrival of the Messiah!

The Messiah that was promised since Genesis 3, who would come and rescue all of mankind. For the Jewish people, this was the one they had been longing for. And the shepherds were some of the first to hear of His arrival.

If the knees of the shepherds hadn’t buckled by this point, you can be sure they did when suddenly the skies lit up and one angel became “a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill toward men.

It was no surprise that they immediately started to follow the star of Bethlehem to find the Child in the manger, and returned glorifying and praising God.

The shepherds experienced fear, confusion, awe and joy on that historic night. Every time I tell this story I am filled with awe when I try to envision the shepherds perspective on that holy night.

Shine Like A Lighthouse

I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. -John 12:46

One of the strongest images of standing strong in the storm is the lighthouse. In the era before radar, satellite navigation and GPS systems, lighthouses were vital to protect ships from crashing onto rocks, shoals and shores. Building lighthouses can be considered one of man’s most noble endeavors. Since the beginning of seafaring p, family and friends have lit bonfires at night to guide sailers home.

“I can think of no other edifice constructed by man as altruistic as a lighthouses. They were built only to serve” – George Bernard

Lighthouses were built to shine.

Jesus used this imagery of light to describe our role in His kingdom. We are the light of the world. He said after claiming Himself to be the true light. Therefore we should function much like a lighthouse, both internally and externally.

The first design for a lighthouse is the internal function of generating light. Early lighthouses used a literal fire that had to be constantly fed and watched. Later electric lights were utilized and ultimately laser lights. But this light still has to be internally projected.

So we too as followers of Jesus project internal light, the outer expression of the inner life under the control of the Holy Spirit.

The other aspect of a modern lighthouse is that it also is an external reflector. Over the years of improvements, revolving lenses have been developed to reflect that internally generated light further into the darkness.

As the moon reflects the light of the sun, so we should reflect the ,Ishtar of the Son in a world of darkness.

Lighthouses remind me of God’s love. Like the bright shining beam of a lighthouse. He love reaches out…piercing through the darkness of any storm.

“You are like the light of the world. A city set on a hill that cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put in under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” – Matthew 5:14-16.

Facing Adversity With Faith

When something disappointing happens, our first most natural reaction is denial. “Did this really just happen. It can’t be it must be a mistake.“

In order to overcome this and every adversity we face the first step we have to take is to face it. We have to accept what has happened, the longer we try to distance ourselves from it the harder it is to overcome it.

We have to accept what has happened and for most people that takes faith or trust in a higher plan. The idea is to take a deep breath, and stay in the present moment. It may seem strange but under your breath tell yourself:

“ I accept what is just happened. I am right here, right now and no where else. I am not alone. I trust in a higher power and I trust there isa good reason this is happening.” The hardest part is the we have an instinct to control the outcome. Don’t try to overcome the outcome. Let it play out. Do worry about the future or obsess with the past.

Staying in the present is the first step. We are put in situations for good reasons. Facing those situations means staying in the now, in the present tense. Don’t torture yourself with the “What if’s?” or the should’ve, could’ve, would’ve.” The more you resist facing adversity the more suffering you will experience. The goal is to accept adversity with serenity, faith, and dignity.

Allow the misfortune to enter your life and be able to tell yourself “Okay, this happened. I’m not dead, I’m not defeated. This is a loss. This is a setback. That’s all. I will overcome this with faith, with forgiveness, with learning and appreciation, with giving and by taking focused action.

We cannot make any decision when we are faced with adversity and when we are upset, and our emotions are controlling us. If you have to walk away do so, but then come back to what just happened and then take action with faith and a clear focused mind.

The Reasons Why I Walk With God

Walking with God makes things easier and brings me hope. You may not realize it but walking with God is so much better than walking without Him. And here is why:

Walking with God makes things possible. The Lord never said our lives here on earth would be easy. We are going to go through tough times and we are going to struggle along the way. But our time on earth will be worth it. We are here to spread God’s love and light to others. That God is our Savior. God gives us the assurance of His presence and power in our lives when we trust in Him. With Him I can endure the trials and heartache this world brings.

Leviticus 26:12 says “I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be my people.

So many people worship so many different Gods of this earth trying to find peace. But I worship the Lord of all peace.

He is my comfort. The Lord is always walking beside me. He goes through every situation with me. He loves and cares for me and is always by my side. I have comfort in knowing that He is always with me and will be here in every situation I endure. He is a shoulder to cry on and the one who lifts my head in times of joy. His arms are always open.

“Even though I walk through the darkness valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” – Psalm 23:4

He is my constant help. No matter what I go through, I know God will be there to help me. When I cry out for help, when I’m frustrated and angry I cry out to Him. When I’m upset and feel like I cannot go on any longer God is there to pick me up. He never judges me by my choices. He picks me up dusts me off and moves me forward.

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses; but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet He did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” – Hebrews 4:15-16

Walking with Him is an unnecessary struggle. When I am not walking with God, I struggle even more because I am completely on my own. I have to figure things out by myself and things are more difficult than they should be. God is a light to my path. He shows me the way, but without Him I have to find my own way through the darkness. Why struggle when I have God to guide me.

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” – John 8:12

No Pity Parties

I had a therapist tells me years ago that I had to try and only have 1 pity party a week. I thought “It’s not like I plan to have these, they just happen.” After I left his office I remember thinking this is never going to work.

Well as it turned out once I started to notice when I would start pitying the more I became aware of it the more I learned to pull myself out of it.

We all go through hard times, disappointments, and even setbacks or delays. When faced with challenges it is easy to feel sorry for ourselves, our families, and circumstances or to complain about the way things appear. Yet, what we focus on during such times has the power to change not only our circumstances, but how long we remain in the valleys,

We’ve all been there. Our health, or a loved one’s is poor health. We may find ourselves laid off from our job. Maybe even our greatest dream suddenly appears distant or completely out of reach. No matter what the circumstances are, when times are tough it is easy to feel sorry for ourselves or complain endlessly about the way things are- or the way they should be. Yet, there is power in choosing not to dwell there.

While it’s normal to have a period of sadness in the face of loss, trial, and disappointment, there should never be a permanent place for it. After a while we have to rely on God’s strength. We need to pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off. After all, pity parties and endless complaining have no place in God’s Kingdom.

Still it is often easier said that done. We can become familiar with feeling sorry for ourselves or complaining. It can become comfortable and far easier that actually moving forward. Particularly when we consider that moving forward requires us to step out of our comfort zone and into a place of unknowns.

We have to realize that it’s a problem that needs to be corrected. The first true step is action. It involves making a choice – a choice to change.

How long it takes to reach the end of ourselves, our self-destruction, our pity parties and complaining varies. It is easy to blind ourselves to these things and in that we often fail to realize we need to change. Yet, the first action is deciding that not only does a change need to happen, but that we are ready to change.