Griswold Family Christmas

“That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “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!” Luke 2:8-11 NLT

At first I'm thinking, ok the angel and shepherds verse. This all part of the "christmas story". We got a quick date night in last night before the holiday and Shayne has her christmas party at daycare today, this is my last chance to clean the place before we're actually both off. So I'm taking a break to blog or just procrastinating. I'm eating chips and salsa since it's lunch time. I read and think, Have I ever been afraid of good news? Have I ever been afraid of being honest? Of being me? I'm reminded of Clark Griswold in Christmas Vacation and how he only wanted a Griswold Family Christmas, he wanted a pool for his family, a great christmas tree, and his house to shine. He wasn't ashamed at all of who he was or how he felt about christmas, even though his in laws were jerks he kept his spirit up. The shepherds were no different, being out the with flocks and witnessing this spectacular event, how could they be ashamed and not share what they saw. Whats crazy is that, few people would believe them due to how gross and smelly they looked and appeared. But it was their line of work that God wanted me to see. Clark was a family man, and no matter what, he wasn't going to let that slide. I read and think, these shepherds were nobodies, they were the people that we would doubt and just smile and take pity on and not love on. And thats exactly why the angel appeared to them. Clark had a decent career but wasn't appreciated by his boss, he had his own words with board as they walked by him. His boss and kids didn't get him, his wife put up with him and still supported him. These shepherds didn't care, they went and found Jesus in the manger, not even aware of how God was going to use them. Hits me, the angels told them about the savior, (the people that society didn't care about and wish would vanish). It was a simple message, nothing complicated. I need to copy these similarities of Clark and the shepherds, both were odd but yet couldn't contain who they were and weren't supposed to. In the end everyone in Clarks life, cousin Eddie, his in laws, his boss, all stood next to him and shared what christmas was all about to him. Just like the shepherds, in the end it was as simple as seeing the Messiah in Bethlehem. I can't be ashamed of the way I am, I used to be. I thought it wasn't cool to listen to christmas music until the week of christmas, or don't decorate, because that's not cool. God made me a certain way, and I'm not supposed to be ashamed of that, especially when He wants me follow Him whichever way He chooses. Ya I'm weird and intense, talk too much, and alway have something to say on Facebook, and with all that, I'll enjoy my own Griswold Family Christmas.