An Advent Mindset: The Shepherds' Story

Do you want an Advent mindset? The shepherds’ story of their mindset change will inspire your mindset too.

Happy third week of Advent! I’m happy to delve deeper into the biblical accounts with you during Advent.

We’ll be taking a closer look at what was going on in the mindset of people in the biblical account before and during Jesus’ birth. Then we’ll discuss what their mindset can teach us about how to think during Advent.

The Shepherds’ Story

You may be familiar with the shepherds’ story in Luke 2. They were going about their regular business, watching over their sheep at night. In my Bible study this morning (more on this Advent study HERE), I learned that shepherds had a pretty lowly occupation. They certainly weren’t members of the in-crowd. But, they had an occupation that many other people in Bible history once had – Abraham, Jacob, Rachel, Moses, and David were all shepherds at one time, before they were well-known.

These shepherds are not named in Scripture, but they mattered to God. Surely none of them expected their lives to completely change overnight. I imagine they were happy to stay out of the spotlight, on the edges of town, outside the notice of most people. As remote and removed as they were, God had a special plan for them. And we’re still discussing it today, over 2,000 years later!

Do you want an Advent mindset? The shepherds' story of their mindset change will inspire your mindset too. #mindset #advent #biblestory Click To Tweet

The Shepherds’ Reaction

Suddenly, an angel appeared before the shepherds. The shepherds were terrified at the angel’s presence, a common reaction to angels recorded again and again in Scripture. But the angel reassured them, telling them amazing news. They were the first to hear the what, when, where and why of the breaking news story regarding the Messiah’s arrival. The shepherds received enough clues to find the baby of which the angel spoke.

But then an even more eye-popping sight occurred. The sky filled with a huge number of angels – the NLT says “armies of heaven” – all praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

Surely that was a stunning display to the shepherds. A breathtaking, incredible, unforgettable moment. I enjoyed this quote in my Bible study:

“I don’t think any Christmas light show is going to be able to outdo what the shepherds experienced.”

Then the writer asks –

“What would you do if you had witnessed all of that? Don’t think about it too hard. What’s your first instinct?”

My first instinct was recalling the total solar eclipse in August 2017. I live in the path of totality for that eclipse and the next one occurring in 2024. Those brief moments were so dazzling, they are still on my shortlist of all-time top visual experiences. I just HAD to talk about it – it was too good not to share! So I wrote a blog post called A Wow Moment With God about my experience – you can read it HERE. My answer to the question – I would have been eager to talk about the experience.

What would you do if you had witnessed what the shepherds saw? Explore this question with me in this post. #Christmas #advent #biblestory Click To Tweet

The Shepherds’ Mindset

As soon as the angels left them, the shepherds were ready to go. The shepherds consulted one another and agreed to go to Bethlehem, and they “hurried” to get there. It’s safe to assume they trusted God with their flocks and didn’t bring all the sheep along to Bethlehem. They wasted no time, because their mindset had been transformed. No longer were they on the margins of society. No longer were they overlooked or forgotten. They had a driving purpose – go see the baby Messiah!

The shepherds had the distinct privilege of being the first visitors Mary and Joseph received. And what did they do after they saw the baby? They “told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.” They were eager to share the good news of what had happened. Unafraid, unembarrassed, unashamed.

What happened when the shepherds shared their story? “All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished.” The people who had once ignored or avoided the shepherds were thrilled to hear what they had to say. The shepherds were the very first live evangelists. What a privilege!

The last view we have of the shepherds is uplifting. They returned to their flocks, “glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen.” The shepherds would no longer be the same after that night. Though their work was the same, their lives were transformed with greater delight and wonder, awe and faith.

Though their work was the same, the shepherds' lives were transformed with greater delight and wonder, awe and faith. #mindset #transformation #inspiration Click To Tweet

Our Advent Mindset

We can learn several valuable things from the shepherds’ mindset. They must have felt affirmed in every fiber of their beings after they absorbed this amazing news. I’m sure their thoughts about God, themselves and the world became completely transformed from that point on. Our encounters with God can be completely transforming too. God affirms our value and honors us with his presence, just as he did with the shepherds through those majestic moments.

Even today, angel sightings are relatively rare. A sighting of only one angel would be just as terrifying and amazing to us. If the entire sky filled with heaven’s armies, we would also feel totally overwhelmed. Yet unlike the shepherds, we have the priceless treasure of God’s Word at our fingertips. What a blessing God speaks to us through the Holy Spirit’s enlightenment each day, as often as we like, without worry of being frightened by a heavenly visitor.

As wondrous as an angel visit may be, we should hunger and thirst more for God’s revelation through his Word and through prayer.

The shepherds did not primarily focus on the angels; they focused on the Good News. They hurried to follow the angel’s instructions, and then they immediately shared the Good News of the Messiah’s arrival. Today, we know so much more about Jesus than the shepherds did. Are you also eager and excited to tell others about what you have seen God do in your life?

At the end of the story, the shepherds went back to their daily lives, but their mindsets changed forever. They glorified and praised God for what they had seen, and the fact that everything the angel told them was true. I can’t help but think they continued that praise, day after day, because they couldn’t NOT do it. Once they had seen such glory, their praise bubbled over from transformed hearts. Do you regularly praise God in your times of prayer and worship? Do you give God glory for the goodness he has shared with you?

Unlike the shepherds, we have the priceless treasure of God's Word at our fingertips. What a blessing! #christianencouragement #biblestory #Christmas Click To Tweet

Your New Mindset

You can put on the mindset of the shepherds in these ways every day:

Knowing your identity in the Lord
Valuing God’s revelation through his Word and times of prayer
Sharing the Good News of what God has done
Glorifying and praising God on a regular basis

What part of the shepherds’ story inspires you most? How can their example change your mindset this Advent?

4 ways the shepherds' story can inspire a new mindset for you. #mindset #thoughtlife #faith Click To Tweet

New insider opportunity!

Did you know? I spend over $200.00 per month on all the expenses relating to my ministry. If you are willing to donate to help offset these expenses, I’ll reward you with an exclusive monthly video teaching and printable. Please donate HERE if you received value from my content today. I’ll add you to the monthly list to receive the exclusive rewards for your donation of any amount. Thank you!