When I was in the 6th grade, I got the opportunity to be a shepherd in a live outdoor nativity scene. I was so excited, especially because I had a crush on one of the girls who was angel in the play. As typical of other experiences in my crazy life, funny things just seem happen when I am around…I had just purchased my first men’s cologne ( I had been told Shepherds didn’t always smell nice because of being around the sheep). I really wanted to impress the angels that night, so I put on my Hi Karate Cologne. I didn’t know how much to use, so I put about a lot of it on me.

When I got there that night I found out that the sheep weren’t available for the performance. They told us not not to worry, they had secured some goats for replacements. We were instructed to stand still and look toward the baby Jesus in the manger. That became increasingly difficult for me when the goats became strangely attracted to my cologne! In fact, they kept attacking me and knocking me down on the ground. It wasn’t yoga with goats… it was more like goats-mug-ya! There was a lot of laughter that night at my expense. When I got home, my mom couldn’t believe all the black and blue bruises I had on me.

It is so easy for us to get distracted when we are trying to focus on Jesus, even at Christmas time. Sometimes we are just too busy or we are distracted by other things that it can make it difficult to keep the right attitude and perspective. That is even more the reason to stop and refocus on Him.

I still have times when it is difficult for me to be still and focus on Jesus. I have learned that even when you get knocked down or discouraged… get back up and keep focusing on Jesus…