Cows: Part I

I’ve had some interesting experiences with cows lately. For some of you, dealing with livestock is a daily occurrence, but for me, a coined “townie,” it’s pretty out of the ordinary.

The first occurrence was about 3 weeks ago when I was participating in a live nativity in Twelve Mile, Indiana. It was a chilly, misty, windy night, so when my mother-in-law stationed me in the stable scene I was definitely okay with that! I was feeling pretty good about holding my statue-like pose as an angel while the stable walls protected me from the elements. Occasionally, I glanced to my right to see my husband and son posing in their positions out in the cold, open park. I felt some pity for them as well as a twinge of guilt in light of the fact that I was undoubtedly warmer than they were.

Well, guilt until the cow in the stable decided to relieve herself via a grand #2! I cannot emphasize enough my disdain for cold weather, but in that moment I would’ve happily traded places with any of the other volunteers in that park in a second! Seriously, that was one smelly incident that I wanted to get away from…and quick! But, what can you do in a moment like that but stand there and pretend to be a happy angel as the cars roll by oblivious to the stench and admiring the baby Jesus in the manger.

As I stood there in my angel like state, I began to think about the fact that Jesus really was born in a smelly barn and that cow dung was perhaps one of the first smells the Savior of the world experienced on this earth. It reminded me of a song title from the 90’s band, 4Him, This is such a Strange Way to Save the World. Indeed, it truly was. His humble birth seemed to be a foreshadowing of Matthew 20:28: “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” To think- He left heavenly glory to experience rough straw, the coldness of night, and the smells of animal excrement- all to end up on a cross to save us from our sin. God in His mighty love saw us in our wretched condition and intervened to make a way to Himself and to make us new.

Which leads me to my second experience with cows… (stay tuned)

Celebrating Emmanuel

What a wonderful day celebrating our Emmanuel ❤️

Even though I’ve heard the Christmas story more times that I can count, it never ceases to amaze me that Jesus left His Heavenly glory to live here on earth for 33 years. Thinking about the humanity of Jesus seriously blows my mind. Jesus ate food. I’ve always wondered what His favorite meal was. Jesus ran around as a toddler. What made Him laugh? What childhood games did He love to play? Jesus felt physical and emotional pain. He experienced what it is to be human.

Hebrews 4:18 tells us that we do not have a Savior who is unsympathetic to our weaknesses, because He Himself was tempted in every way. He was in it with us.

Thankful for a Savior who is God with us- a Savior who came humbly as a baby and reigns as our forever King! Merry Christmas!!!

A little excerpt:

There’s a line in the popular Christmas song “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” that I love: “Peace on Earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.” The word “reconciled” means “to restore friendly relations; to work out differences; to be at peace with one another.” To truly be reconciled with someone means that whatever the disagreement was about doesn’t even matter anymore, because it has been settled. When Jesus became our substitute on the cross, He made a way for us to be right with God. Because of this, we have peace in our relationship with the Creator of Heaven and Earth. This reconciliation was possible because Jesus’s sacrifice ended the estrangement that had been caused by sin. Jesus became our Savior and our Friend; He reconciled us to God and therefore Himself.

Even when Jesus walked this earth, He was known as a Friend of sinners. It seemed He preferred to spend His time with the tax collectors and “sinners” rather than anyone else.

I know we in America are not huge fans of the IRS, but in Jesus’s day this dislike was next level. People despised tax collectors, because they were constantly cheating people, charging them extra, and pocketing the difference for themselves. So, the fact that Jesus hung out with these guys, and even called one to be his disciple (Matthew), was almost unthinkable.

He also allowed His feet to be anointed by a “sinful” woman (implying she had had many lovers or was a prostitute), ate in tax collectors’ homes, and welcomed with open arms those whom society deemed “less than.” This shows us who Jesus valued and who He came to have relationships with. This shows us that He came to be friends with sinners like us.

3 Days from Christmas

Something I was thinking about the other day…

I came across a familiar verse the other day: “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). Interesting timing considering we’re 3 days from Christmas; the time when most people are dreaming about all the packages under the tree with their names on them. For sure, in these last few days until the 25th parents and grandparents everywhere will be scurrying about checking off lists that have undoubtedly been created months in advance by the little ones they love. Not that we adults can claim otherwise- we also have our own wish lists. Which got me thinking….

What is the real desire of my heart? Sure there’s some things I want or could use (mainly some new tupperware), and I’ve never been one to turn down running apparel, dark chocolate, or coffee. But certainly these are not the desires of my heart. For some the answer to this question may be a new home, a new job, or even living in a different location. There is nothing wrong with these of course, and trust me, I often think these are my true desires as well. But I just don’t think those are the promises of the above mentioned verse. I think the promise is much bigger (and better) than that!

When we delight ourselves in the Lord- when we love Him above all else- we know Him as our supreme gift and source of joy. Consequently, His desires become our desires as well. In case we have any doubt about what God desires for us, we need look no further than Galatians 5:22-23: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I don’t know about you, but I’d take any one of those fruits over any gift from a store. Which brings me back to my original self-reflection.

If my answer to the question about the desire of my heart begins to look like the things of this world, then I know I need to ask God to realign my heart and delight myself in His Word, His promises, and in Himself…because even though there are times the world may capture my attention for a moment, what I really desire are the things of God. May this Christmas season find us all delighting in our Heavenly Father who has given us not only His Spirit, but the Savior of the World, Jesus Christ, His Son.