Last week we talked about the struggles Joseph and Mary had to deal with before and after the birth of Jesus Christ. I know it was hard being in a stable with the animals and not having any privacy. Jesus was born without any incidents. I wonder what was going through Mary’s mind because the conditions truly were not conducive for a mother coming out of labor. It was not going to take long for Mary and Joseph to understand the purpose of their struggle.
In Luke 2:8-20, the purpose for the struggles and the place where Jesus was born is about to be revealed. In the fields not far from Bethlehem the shepherds were tending to the sheep. The Lord does the unexpected and sends a bright light in the field. He has an angel meet the shepherds in the field and tells them about the birth of the Messiah. They were to go to Bethlehem to see the Messiah for themselves. The angel stated, they would find the baby wrapped in cloth and laid in a manger. This would allow them to find Jesus easier, because a manger would not be located inside a house.
After the announcement there were Heavenly hosts assembled before them praising God. Can you imagine how these shepherds were feeling, seeing all of this taking place? They had to process this information and I know some of them thought why us? We are not a part of high society, we are lonely shepherds they look down upon because we are not able to abide by the cleansing laws. They decided to drop everything and go to Bethlehem. When the shepherds found Jesus, they began to tell everyone around them about what happened to them in the field. This was the purpose of the struggles, to create an opportunity for the last to be first to see the Messiah. As the shepherds were heading back to the fields, they were praising God for blessing them. These were people that thought they were forgotten and were only good for taking care of sheep. But God wanted them to know they are not forgotten but are blessed and loved by Him.
Doing as the Lord instructs can cause struggles in your life. But, I want you to know there is a purpose for your struggles. Others will be blessed through your struggles and you will be blessed as well. It will be hard, but it’s worth it. Continue to walk in your blessings.