Luke 2:8-12,  Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night.  And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.  Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.  For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ (Messiah) the Lord.  And this will be the sign to you:  You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

If you have been with me for a while, I know I have mentioned this detail about Jesus’ birth before, but I believe it is so important to dig in and see details of what God does and how He plans. It’s also very important to understand the times and customs vs just attempting to understand from today’s perspective. When the angel gave them that unusual “sign” of how they would know that this baby was the Messiah, it made absolute sense to them.  Have you ever wondered why they said the sign would be that the baby would be “wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger”?  These shepherds understood because when a lamb was born and it was perfect they would take it and wrap it in swaddling cloths to protect it and they would keep it in the “manger/cave” to keep it from harm for a few days so it could possibly be used for the sacrifice when it was old enough.  So what sounded to us like an odd detail spoke volumes to the shepherds.

We get so impatient sometimes when we are waiting for God to do something but we have no idea the details He is working out, not only in our own lives but in the lives of others that it will affect.  He hasn’t lost sight of you and the plans He has.  He is working out the details.  Sometimes those details are within you.  Some situations or people are allowed in your life to help you grow in an area that is necessary for the plans He has.  While we are after the end result without the storms, the wilderness, and sometimes even loss He knows just exactly what it will take to help us become all He knows we can be.  Let’s face it, we all know that we grow the most during the difficult seasons of life.  It’s also those times when our faith is tried and we learn to draw close to Him that we learn how to help others going through it down the road.  Our ministry and our service to God usually grows out of our life experiences that have drawn us close to Him.  So instead of fighting what God is doing in your life, ask Him if there’s something He is trying to teach you through it.  Ask for His strength and grace knowing that every detail of everything in your life matters to Him and He will work those things out for the good of all that He is doing.  

As you finish out the year ask God to help you to know any changes you can make in your life that will help you in your walk with Him so your life will shine even brighter for Him next year!  Let’s not wait for a storm to come, let’s be proactive and take steps to grow closer to Him and to know Him better so we can reach more people!  Our time here is so short let’s determine to make the most of it!  His best is yet to come!