The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Luke 2:6 NIV

As we waited in our spot by the curb for the annual Christmas parade, our two-and-a-half-year-old grandson grew impatient. I tried to tell him about all of the cool lights and sights the parade promised, but to no avail. I could not believe it when he came up with an excuse for why he would not enjoy the event. He informed me he did not want to see it because he was “too little.” He wanted to go back to my house missing the whole thing.

We humans can think up numerous excuses == too tired, too busy, too worried, too sad. It might take up too much time.

What if, when the angels came to the shepherds that night, they would have come up with excuses not to go see the baby, Jesus? The middle of the night, they had sheep to watch, and all the walking to get to that manger. What a bother!  If they would have had those thoughts, they would have missed the whole thing.

Guess what? Sometimes a little bit of bother brings a whole lot of joy. In my grandson’s case he would have merely missed some candy and a parade, but the shepherds would have missed the Son of God as a newborn baby.

Fortunately, the shepherds did not come up with excuses, they followed the angel’s directions and got to witness in person the Savior of the world. Luke goes on to tell us that after their encounter with Jesus, they told others and they praised God. What a joyful experience!

Father, help us not to let excuses get in our way of experiencing your blessings not only at Christmas, but in the regular days as well.

Susan Partida