#TBCcrafters Thrilling Thursday ~ One Night In the Field

I thought I would do something really different this week for my "craft". Some may even say it really isn't a craft, but to me it is. It takes creativity, imagination and effort to put together. So I am sharing with you a short story I wrote (hoping some day to publish other than just on here) about Christmas. I hope you enjoy reading it as much I as did writing it.

One Night In the Field 
by Lois A Jones coppyright Dec, 2012

  Micah was tired! No matter how hard he tried, he just could not get comfortable. He could never feel relaxed sitting in the opening of the sheep pen. It seemed like every sharp rock in the world had gathered there. He hated being out in the cold night watching the flocks. No matter how many times his father asked him to take his turn, the night just never seemed to go fast. It always dragged on and on, rarely with anything more eventful than the occasional sheep bleating or moving from one spot to the other and then back again. How his father expected him to stay awake all night long was something he never understood. It was just too boring. It was dreary enough during the day, but at least then there were short visits by one of his sisters bringing them food or drink. At least that broke up the monotony. The only good thing about being on watch during the night was knowing he was out here with his two older brothers and some of their family's hands to help, not that anything ever really happened to need this many people anyway. 

 The night was just dragging on and on and on. His eyes were drooping more and more and he caught his head getting heavier with each passing minute! Suddenly, he was startled. What was that? What in the world was the bright light? How could someone even have a candle or fire that dazzling? As his eyes began to focus he saw a man . . . no, not a man. What was he? Fear grasped Micah's heart and mind, a fear he had never experienced before. The light was coming from the man! All Micah could do was fall flat on his face and tremble. He thought of his mother, his father and then his siblings. Were they seeing this? Was he imagining this? All he could do is stay there with his face on the ground wondering what would become of him. 

 It was then he heard a voice, a voice unlike any he had ever heard before, calm and serene, patient and kind. Realizing it was coming from the man who was shining brightly before him, he heard, "Don't be afraid! I am here to bring you wonderful news; and not just for you, it is news for all the people of the world. Today, born right here in the City of David is a Savior. His name is Christ the Lord. You can find Him by looking for a Baby wrapped in swaddling and lying in a manger." 

 Micah felt a peace come over him he could not explain. He tried to look up to get a better glimpse of the shining man, but as he did all around the man were more and more and more shining men, all of them saying the same thing: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill toward men." 

 This continued for a few minutes and the more it did the more Micah became excited. He realized that this was a message from God! He had heard his father and the priests talk about these shining men coming to the prophets of old with messages from Heaven. They were angels! God has chosen to come to him with a message, but not to him alone. It was then he realized that his brothers and the others had seen all that he had. His excitement continued to grow. 

 "We have to go! We have to go into Bethlehem now. We have to see what has happened tonight, what the Lord God has told us about!" He heard himself shouting to the rest of the men in the field and they in turn were doing the same. Before he knew it, his feet were racing toward the city. He couldn't run fast enough. Was this the promised Messiah he had learned about, had heard about his whole life? 

 It didn't take them long to find a small stable in a cave. Several people had been going in and out of it and they could tell there had been some commotion here tonight. This was the stable of Ibraham the inn keeper. As Micah approached the cave his heart swelled with anticipation. What would he find there? And then he saw Him, the very small Baby, wrapped tightly in swaddling, laying in the cows' manger, sleeping. To the side was a young woman he thought must be the Baby's mother, resting on a bed of straw. Several more women, one the midwife, were doting about her. A man stood close by both the mother and the Baby with a far off look on his face, one Micah recognized from seeing on his own father's face after his two youngest brothers were born. 

 But what drew Micah's attention the most was that Baby. There was something different about Him, something he couldn't explain. And then he remembered, word for word, what the angel had told him, "His name is Christ the Lord"! Joy flooded through him. He didn't want to leave the Baby, but he knew he had to tell others about this. He jumped to his feet to tell his brothers what he wanted to do, only to see them already leaving the stable. Micah knew they felt the same as he did. The urge to tell everyone about this night could not be ignored. 

 Their small group went all over the city, first together as one and then splitting up so they could tell more and more people about this amazing event! Everyone needed to hear about it and all who did were surprised and excited, almost as excited as those who shared the news. Micah didn't notice how tired he was or how much his feet were hurting until he realized that the morning light was starting to shine. He found the rest of the men and as the elated group left the city they talked excitedly amongst themselves about all they had heard and seen. Micah, for the first time in a long time, was more than happy to go back to the field and watch his father's flocks. 

 That was when it dawned on him that they had left all the sheep unattended for hours on end! His heart sank as low as it could. Any number of animals could have come along and harmed the sheep. What if thieves had come and stolen the flocks? Though his feet hurt and he was very tired he ran as fast as he could to get back to the flocks, all the while hoping and praying he would not find the worst. 

 To Micah's surprise, he found the sheep right where he had left them, all of them. He counted over and over to be certain that they were all there. He looked each one over to make sure they were not hurt. No blemishes were on them -- not a one! Then it dawned on him, the God who just showed the men this amazing thing was certainly a God who could care for a few sheep for a few hours. Micah sat back in the opening of the pen, not paying mind to even one of the sharp rocks poking up through the ground. All he could think about was how wonderful his God was and how today was different from any other day he had ever experienced. 

 From now on the world would never be the same.