Some days, life just seems tedious. More data to enter at the office. Another load of laundry to fold and put away. More dirty dishes have piled up in the sink. Completing these ordinary tasks day in and day out can steal our joy and leave us yearning for an exotic vacation and a respite from the monotony. I wonder how the shepherds were feeling as they logged another cold, uneventful night watching sheep. Were they bogged down by the routine—weary of doing the same mindless, ordinary job every single night?

Regardless of the shepherds’ attitude that first Christmas Eve, their ordinary night was about to become extraordinary. A child was born in a stable in Bethlehem. A seemingly unimportant, private moment of joy between a husband and wife was about to change the history of the world. The fulfillment of thousands of years of promises lay in a manger. God himself came to earth to save his people. It’s no coincidence that those appointed to watch sheep outside Bethlehem that night were the first to hear about One who would redeem the lost sheep of Israel and bring salvation to the world. An ordinary night became extraordinary indeed.

During the season of Advent, we often face the burden of those tiresome, daily tasks in the midst of schedules that are amped up with parties and extra preparations. While we may enjoy the extra social and family gatherings, our attitude isn’t always one of joy as we prepare to celebrate our Savior’s birth. We may feel the burden of extra responsibilities and the pressure of additional deadlines. In spite of our attitude, that extraordinary news wasn’t just for the shepherds in the distant town of Bethlehem. This “good news of great joy” is for us too. God himself became flesh and walked among us to save us and make us his own dear children. Yet, how can we be mindful of the extraordinary while trudging through the ordinary?

In a recent article¹, Michealeen Doucleff wrote about how to find joy when we are stuck in a rut. One of her suggestions was to take an “awe walk” every day and pay attention to the extraordinary things in the midst of the ordinary. As Christians, this “awe walk” is far more significant than a walk in God’s beautiful creation. It is a walk to the manger where we see God’s promises fulfilled and to the cross where we lay our sins at the feet of the One who died and rose again for us. May our daily “awe walk” infuse true joy into every single one of the most minute and tedious moments of our ordinary human existence. The joy of Jesus transforms each of our ordinary moments on earth to extraordinary ones as we ponder the depths of his grace, peace, and love for each one of us, not only this Advent season but every single day.