"The Lowly and the Leftovers"

My friend preached a sermon titled "The Lowly and the Leftovers" today in church, and I was so encouraged by it. It was part of the Christmas series, and he was talking about how the first people to find out about the birth of Jesus were the shepherds. The shepherds weren't really outcasts, they were just overlooked...invisible. They got the leftover job of watching some really dumb animals--did you know that sheep won't even drink out of running water because they're afraid of it? These are the people that got to hear the good news of Jesus' birth first.

He was saying how God uses lowly, leftover people to achieve great things. Jesus was the son of a carpenter, Matthew was a tax collector, and Paul, who wrote most of the New Testament, was a murderer. He was explaining that God often uses people who feel like they're useless, because they've already been humbled.

I feel pretty lowly and leftover with no children. We've been married too long to be classified as newlyweds, but we haven't really moved on to the next stage of life, so we don't fit in with people our age who are parents. I feel like a failure as a wife because my body doesn't seem to want to give my husband the chance to be a father. Even professionally, I feel like I'm at a disadvantage because I don't have children of my own, so I think some people have a hard time trusting me with their children until they get to know me. This time of year is hard because it's all about family, particularly kids, and I have none. Back in June, we were pretty sure that by the time December came, we'd have a baby on the way, and we don't. I guess it just gave me a little bit of encouragement to be reminded that God can still use me, even when I feel useless.

We were singing "The Power of Your Love" today in church, and God really used it to encourage me. It's an older song, and I can't even remember the last time we sang it in church....it's been quite awhile since I even heard it on the radio. It's definitely going on my iPod for me to go back to during this time (my personal favorite is Lincoln Brewster's version, but a few different people have covers of it). The words are perfect:


Lord I come to You
Let my heart be changed renewed
Flowing from the grace that I found
In You

Lord I've come to know
The weakness I see in me
Will be stripped away
By the power of Your love

Hold me close
Let Your love surround me
Bring me near
Draw me to Your side

And as I wait
I'll rise up like the eagle
And I will soar with You
Your Spirit leads me on
By the power of Your love

Lord unveil my eyes
Let me see You face to face
The knowledge of Your love as You live
In me

Lord renew my mind
As Your will unfolds my life
In living every day
By the power of Your love

Hold me close
Let Your love surround me
Bring me near
Draw me to Your side
And as I wait, I'll rise up like the eagle
And I will soar with you
Your spirit leads me on
By the power of your love