“And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” Luke 2:20, ESV

The shepherds in Luke 2 had had a wild night. They were just minding their own business in the middle of some field in the Roman occupied Palestinian wilderness when all of the sudden they saw an angel and bright light. This was before electricity and light pollution, so the sky was either pitch black or barely lit because of cloud cover. All of the sudden the lights come on, and there is an angel right there in the midst of the sheep and shepherds. Sheep were yelling and scattering, and the shepherds were probably freaking out as well. Then the angel tells them to calm down, and that the baby Jesus had been born in Bethlehem, and that he was lying in an animal’s feeding trough wrapped in rags. The shepherds were slightly puzzled until the next amazing thing happened. An entire choir of angels starts belting out praise to God. The light was lit up by the glory of God, and all these angels were just praising his glory. Then the angels left. The shepherds probably sat for a moment trying to understand what had just happened. Then all of the sudden one of the shepherds gets up and states that he is going to Bethlehem to check it out. Eventually all of the shepherds went to Bethlehem to see the baby king.

I have often longed for purpose. I have looked for purpose in relationships, in things, and in tasks that I need to do. However all these things fail me and for a time I feel that my life doesn’t have clear direction or purpose. I am sure that the shepherds felt like I did. The job of herding sheep was not exactly “sexy”. It did not come with any big perks, and left almost no room for promotion. One could not become a shepherd, save up some money, go to community college, and then get a better job at another company. Another famous biblical shepherd, David, was a shepherd because he was the littlest and youngest boy. He was the lowest of the low so his job was to care for the sheep.

At some point we all experience what it feels like to be stuck in a rut. We are neglected, unappreciated, or just left completely alone. From the mother who’s kids never call to the high school senior trying to figure out what to do with his life we have all felt the feeling that we are just not good enough. Like shepherds we feel like we will always be behind, and that when we die we will just be forgotten. Things are not designed to be this way.

See in our dark night God’s glory shines through. He gives us purpose and he gives us freedom. He shakes up our perception of reality and changes what we want. Instead of deadbeats in a dead end job living a dead end life we can be excited because he gave us a purpose. If he has not shined through for you ask him to. Ask him to make your life exciting again. See God satisfies. He is drink for the thirsty that causes our souls to never thirst again. Like the shepherds God can and does break the monotony to reach out and save us.

If you are tired of the same old holiday season, do you long for some excitement and fulfillment in your life? Spend the next year in the word and ask for God to show you amazing things. Give a crazy amount of time to volunteering at a local church or charity. Write a love song to Jesus, ask if you can pray for a stranger in need. Ask Jesus to satisfy you. Ask him to change you. See the shepherds left behind everything they knew to pursue something that they were told was glorious. This holiday season don’t become complacent. If you have seen the glory of God then be radical in your response. If you have not seen the glory of God ask. God may not send angels, but he has a way of showing himself when someone really wants to know.