Flies In the Manger

Luke 2:1-7

You know, for years I’ve been looking and meditating on the story of Jesus’ birth. I can’t help but to think about how the Inn keeper turned to Joseph and Mary and said, “There is no room here in this Inn!”

Of course it is left to our imaginations as to what really took place between the two parties much like many things in the Bible. After all, God gave us an imagination…or could we perhaps call our imagination a vehicle of God’s revelation?

The point I’m getting to is the fact that Jesus was born and placed in a manger. Why a manger?

The Random House Webster’s College Dictionary states that a manger is “a box or trough in a stable or barn from which livestock eat.”

You would think God would have the best in mind for his son…after all, Jesus is considered to be royalty right? Placing Jesus in a manger seems down right degrading to that royalty image. At least it seemed to when I was younger in the faith.

I’ve discovered over the years that God has purpose in everything he does! I truly believe Jesus was placed in a manger so we, as God’s children, can identify with him. Somehow, Jesus becomes real to us! This includes the frailties that come with being God’s children.

There are also other things involved like the stable and the animals in and around the very manger Jesus was placed. I don’t know about anyone else, but I pictured Flies in that stable. In so doing, God has revealed a valuable lesson to me.

We may think Flies are dirty and can be pesky little creatures, and they are, but they serve a purpose in this world. For instance, they are a part of the food chain. Their larva use to be used to clear up gangrene. Even now, extracts from flies are used for medicines.

The same thing can be said about the “flies” or the pesky things we think create havoc in our lives. They do so because we allow them to distract us from the true light, Jesus Christ.

Mary and Joseph didn’t seem to care where their baby was born. Furthermore, they didn’t let the closing of the Inn detour them from carrying out God’s will. The Christ child was born anyway! Inn or stable, it didn’t matter!

Every obstacle that appeared in Joseph and Mary’s way by man’s efforts was over-ridden by the power of God. As long as they did what God asked of them or remained obedient, the Lord saw fit to protect and care for them.

The same thing applies to our situations in life. We too have the flies in life, but as long as we remain steadfast and follow the Lord’s lead, the flies are no longer pesky!

It is like the old story a dear sweet friend of mine shared with me one day when she was discussing how our Lord was working in her life. Erma said, “Sometimes we are dealt lemons that are sour and bitter, but God sweetens the lemons and makes lemonade out of them. God does so because he loves us and cares for us.

The problem is, we don’t recognize his love. We are like the child that always wants to get out of the playpen to see what’s on the other side, not knowing we are safe and protected from the dangers outside.

Dearest people, picture the playpen like God’s loving arms and think, “Why in the world would I want to run from that embrace?” … re-evaluate what seem to be the flies in your live…then ask the Lord for direction and proceed to follow His guidance. You will find that the flies are the stepping stones to your cure.

May you always remain in the comforting arms of our Lord!

Grace and peace,

Mary Murtha

Mary Murtha writes product reviews and testimonials, published a minisite that helps people get sarted and succeed in their online business, and just published her first Article Directory where authors and publishers can help each other by offering fresh free content to the rest of the net. If you are looking for content or want to post your articles free of charge, go to: www.thecontentcorner.com

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