Have you ever worked a job that drains you mentally, physically, and emotionally? It seems the others actually have checked out mentally the minute they arrive. You see them checking their phones, updating their stats on Football Fantasy, or searching the internet for favorite cat videos.
And yet you still come to work every day. You believe that God, not human management, is actually your Boss. Your Heavenly Boss wants to be proud of you. He exists even in the mundane.
REIMAGINE THE SHEPHERDS
Try reimagining the shepherd portion of the Christmas story (Luke 2:8-20) through contemporary eyes. Shepherd’s wages are lousy. The work is hard. Shepherding is not considered a rung on the ladder of success. What if half the work crew didn’t show up the night mentioned in Luke 2? Maybe they stayed home because the Eagles were competing in the playoffs. Did those who showed up want to be there?
SHOWING UP MADE A DIFFERENCE
The Bible does not tell us the number of shepherds that came to work that night. We do know one thing: their lives were changed forever. Showing up made a difference. God was there.
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LATE SHIFT
In the dead of night, suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. To the group of terrified farmworkers, the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid! I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!” The shepherds were serenaded by God’s #1 singing group. Joined by a vast host of others (the armies of heaven), they praised God and sang: “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
There was no lengthy employee meeting over what the shepherds should do next. They ran as fast as they could to Bethlehem to witness the event, the arrival of the Promised Messiah. Their mundane jobs were no longer mundane.
LIVES NEVER THE SAME AGAIN
We do know from the account that they told everyone they could about what they had witnessed. These uneducated, rough men from the “wrong side of the tracks” were God’s first messengers. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. They had seen the Hand of God.
THEY MISSED THE BLESSING
What about those who didn’t show up for work that night? They missed seeing Heaven come down and God’s grand opening show. They missed the blessing because they were tired of the mundane.
BARELY SHOWING UP FOR LIFE
Who am I writing this piece for? Those of us who are barely showing up for life. Our bodies are present, but our hearts, minds and spirits are elsewhere. We assume that God can’t be in the everyday, the mundane. Chuck Swindoll wrote: “God specializes in turning the mundane into the meaningful. God not only moves in unusual ways; He also moves on uneventful days. He is just as involved in the mundane as He is in the miraculous.”
GOD IS INVOLVED IN THE MUNDANE
Are you glad the shepherds showed up that night? Maybe your life seems dry, boring or just downright difficult. God asks us daily to show up and be ready for Him to be present. “He is just as involved in the mundane as He is in the miraculous.” Will you invite Him to inhabit you life, even when it seems mundane?