Shepherding 101

Is your shopping done yet? Mine isn’t.

Are your cookies baked? No, mine aren’t made yet either.

Not to mention wrapping presents, visiting family, decorating the house, menu planning, making travel arrangements, and “adjusting” the Christmas tree for the millionth time. It’s no wonder the stores begin their holiday advertising in October. While it may seem obscenely early, some of us need that much time to get ready!

Not that it helps, of course, because here I am 12 days before Christmas with a lot to do.

I wish I were a shepherd. They didn’t need to do a lot to get ready.

There they were, a few shepherds in a field… They were doing what shepherds do… watching over their sheep to make sure wolves or lions didn’t eat them. Fairly dangerous and exciting but relatively uneventful on most nights I would imagine.

In the midst of this ordinary night, an angel of the Lord appears to the shepherds and tells them where the Savior can be found. Now that’s not something that happens… ever! I wonder what the shepherds thought. Did they discuss it amongst themselves before deciding what to do? Was there a tense round of “bubble gum, bubble gum in a dish” to see who drew the short straw and had to stay with the sheep? Surely it was a risk to abandon everything in the hopes of finding the Savior.

Luke 2:16 says “They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.” They hurried. They wasted no time. I bet they didn’t even really discuss it. And I’m fairly certain they didn’t make a million preparations before they met the Savior! This was Christmas… and they made no preparations?!

Did you catch that? Can you get your mind around it?! They didn’t worry about their flocks. They didn’t have to go home and pack overnight bags. They didn’t make excuses as to why they couldn’t go. They didn’t have shopping or baking or Christmas parties to attend before they could meet the Savior. They dropped everything because they knew what was really important on that night.

I wish I were a shepherd.

Wouldn’t it be great to not have to shop…not have to bake…not have to be stressed out about what needs to be accomplished before the 25^th of December?

Don’t get me wrong. I love everything about Christmas. I love giving gifts. And I’ll be honest, I love getting them, too! And I think frosting cookies with the kids ranks right up there with an overnight get-away with Paul. (That might be pushing it just a bit!) But sometimes, these things take on a life all their own if we let them.

It isn’t really important whether or not you found the perfect present for your kids, or if your cookies are all baked or if you are dreading spending the holidays with your in-laws. What is truly important is reflecting on the real reason we make all these preparations.

I only wish it were as easy to apply as it is to say. I know that I can get overwhelmed by everything that needs to be done and I often place my priority on the preparations more than the person we are celebrating.

Luke goes on to say that upon meeting the Savior, the shepherds returned to their work glorifying and praising God for what they had heard and seen. They left the presence of this little baby with a heart full of joy. I imagine them dancing and skipping as they left the stable. Lighthearted. Free.

And isn’t that the real message of Christmas?

I think I just might have to see if there are any courses in Shepherding 101.