Sheep & Giggles

…you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.  Luke 2:12

Social media can be crazy but it can also be awesome!  I have some amazing stuff pop up on my twitter page and my Facebook newsfeed.  Sometimes it’s stories that bring hope, sometimes it’s a quick scripture or quote that jolts my thinking or my heart and sometimes it’s just plain funny, laugh out loud kinda stuff.  It’s funny how just when I need a laugh or a lift the most,  something pops up at just the perfect time.  Friday afternoon I was running out of gas; my emotions, my energy, my joyfulness…all of it was running on fumes.  Right before I left school I sat down at my desk to check messages and send a couple of quick emails and I found a little clip that made me laugh so hard in the quiet building I think I frightened the janitor.

The link to this little clip will be at the bottom of this post so you can giggle too. If you have a minute (literally) you might want to scroll down and watch it before you continue reading. The video features two tiny girls playing the roles of Mary and a sheep in a Christmas Pageant and a hilarious fight over the Baby Jesus.  As the two tumble and tussle fighting for the doll it made me think of our daily struggles to put a little more Jesus in our life.  

The first thing I thought when I watched the clip was; what would my life look like if I worked as hard to capture Jesus as the little sheep did?  She knew she wanted Jesus and she planned, pounced and protected.  The look of sheer delight on  her face as she danced with Jesus in her arms was endearing. It made me wonder how much more content and joyful I’d be if I imagined dancing in the arms of Jesus like the little sheep.  She defended Baby Jesus and she wasn’t afraid to laugh and run around like he was her prized possession.   I sure think my imitation of that little sheep would change things!

The little girl who played Mary had a lesson for me too.  Her first reaction was shock but it didn’t take her long to spring into action.  It’s funny how she hesitated for a quick second as if formulating a plan that was as peaceful as possible.  She very easily could have taken the sheep out at the knees, instead, she was trying to be dignified but driven.  More often than I’d like to admit I charge off full speed either in my actions or my judgmental thoughts and don’t take  a quiet second to think things through.  She became the Baby Jesus’ protector, trying to return him to his rightful spot.  She didn’t give up; she didn’t wait for  Joseph or one of the shepherds to step in and handle the problem, she just went after Jesus trying to make sure he had the honor and respect he was due.  There are a couple lessons in discipleship there that I should ponder.  

The wonder of Christmas never gets old.  Something about children, including Baby Jesus, and their innocence and cuteness just makes my heart happy.  They are not filled with malice and they aren’t trying to deceive or impress…they just are.  When I see the number of likes, shares and views on this little clip I’m filled with hope because I know others are stopping to watch, laugh and maybe ponder the birth of Jesus and that’s something truly worth pondering.

A Seed To Plant:  Watch the video and spend some time pondering what we’re really preparing for these last few days of Advent.

https://youtu.be/M2PP1Ey3NEk

Blessings on your day!