TABLE SALT: In expectation

The forecast shows above average temperatures for January and below average snow fall. We have been checking our flock of sheep often as the ewes are about to give birth any day. Watching and waiting in expectation for the new arrivals brings excitement. If we see signs that a ewe is about to deliver, we will stay close in case she requires assistance. It’s important to make sure the lambs get dried off and up to nurse. Every walk to the barn holds the wonder of what we might find.

Christmas has come and gone, but it isn’t over. The decorations come down and the ornaments are removed from the tree. The darkness of winter sets in as the lights are unplugged and packed away. The anticipation of Christmas cookies, gifts, and gatherings stirs up excitement heading into the season. However, when it comes and goes it can leave you feeling flooded with the winter blues. Don’t settle into those feelings for too long. Pull out a Bible and find the hope and light written for you to cling to.

Christmas wasn’t meant to only last for a season. It’s not a decoration, cookie, or package. Christmas is a promise from God. It’s a feeling of expectation of what He is going to do. We take countless walks to the barn looking for lambs. Most of the walks to check sheep we don’t find any signs, yet we continue to journey in anticipation of what is to come. We won’t always see and feel exactly what God is doing, but we can fully count on His word. God sent His one and only son, Jesus, to earth as a weak and dependent newborn. He wasn’t born in a mansion or beautiful palace, but a lowly stable. Christ doesn’t come for just a season. Christmas is meant to bask in all year long. Continue pushing through each day, waiting expectantly for what God is going to do in and through your life. The Psalm of David gives us a prayer to help hold Christmas in our hearts.

“Listen to my words, Lord, consider my lament. Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for you I pray. In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my request before you and wait expectantly.” Psalm 5: 1-3.

This verse reflects how a righteous man can pray for not only deliverance from freedom and suffering but to allow himself to serve God without distraction. Continue the daily journey to the barn. Fill yourself with the excitement of the relationship God desires with you. Take each step in anticipation. In greater ways than you can even imagine, God will reveal Himself to you. It may not be through the sights of the season, but perhaps it will be through the stable. God doesn’t come to bring large glittery packages. He offers a promise of eternal life through an infant in a manger, and you can meet God in this place all year long. Wait in expectation.

Contact Ashley at ashley@tippgazette.com

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Tippecanoe Gazette

Attn: Ashley Spring McCarroll

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Tipp City, Ohio 45371