What Sign Will It Take For Us To Have Joy? -- Day 15 and 16 of Advent

This is where our shepherd and his sheep wait while Mary and Joseph journey to "Bethlehem" (aka fireplace mantle). Our lone shepherd keeps vigilant watch until good news comes to him.

"In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid; for see -- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger'" (Luke 2:8-12).

Obviously the shepherds' first thought was not good news of great joy when an angel stood before them. They were terrified. Yet, this week of Advent, we celebrate using the Shepherds' Candle -- the Candle of Joy. I am distracted as I write this. A little bird (pictured below) keeps flying into my window.

I've heard of birds flying into windows before, and I read that I should put up stickers so that they would know they were flying into a window (not that I thought my windows were so crystal clear). So, I did. Clearly, I posted a sign: "This is a window." The bird has continued to fly into it. I stood in front of the window. A sign: "People live here." I put the stickers on the outside of the  window. Maybe the bird is someone's escaped house bird. So, I tried to entice it. I tried capturing it. Nothing is working. I tried turning lights on in the house. I tried darkening the house. I tried chasing the bird away. Sign after sign. Your joy is not found in flying into this window. It is elsewhere, little bird.

Finally, silence. I cautiously look to see if the bird is lying on the ground. It is not, and I am thankful. Maybe this is just what I needed to write about today. How often do I ignore the signs? Something happens out of the ordinary, out of my comfort zone, maybe just out of my accustomed way of doing things, whether comfortable or not, and I am terrified. Then, I continue to insist on flying the route I want to fly instead of seeing all the signs: Good news of great joy -- go the way of your Savior, your Messiah, your Lord.