Uncomfortable hay

Abby was coloring a picture of baby Jesus on the hay the other day and said, "Mommy, that hay wasn't a comfortable place for baby Jesus." She then recalled the hay event at the pumpkin farm.

In October, I took Abby to a pumpkin farm where she did all sorts of fun activities. Among them was riding on a child-sized zip line, the kind you just hold onto above your head. She didn't make it all the way across and dropped into the pile of hay beneath her. A sharp blade of hay gave her the slightest cut on her cuticle, and she hasn't liked hay since.

God is faithful to use the experiences of our lives...even the painful ones....for our benefit and His glory. I have never thought much about how uncomfortable hay is. But Abby's comment made me stop and reflect on the extremely humble circumstances of that stable.