I was born in a stable just a few weeks ago. I don’t know much yet. Mamma shows me where I can get milk and walks with me outside where I can smell the fresh air. I love my Mamma. She helped me to take my first steps. She keeps me clean. She lets me snuggle next to her when I get cold. And she lets me explore as much as I can… without getting into trouble, of course.

I suppose the other animals in the stable think I’m annoying. The cows usually just stand around chewing their cud or dozing off. The mules are out most of the day, and when they come in for the night, they’re exhausted. If I get too close to them, they snort at me. There are a few mice that sometimes like to play chase with me, but if the cat is around, they run away. Sometimes I hate that old, fat cat. Although, sometimes, the fat cat and I snuggle at night, so I guess she’s not all bad. I can’t help that I’m young and curious. I want to explore this new world that I’ve been born into.

So the day when two humans came into my stable, you can bet I was more than curious. There was a young girl and a man. The girl was crying a lot. At first, I thought she was just really sad. But then, she started screaming. I was scared. I ran to Mamma and asked her what was happening. Mamma just looked at me with tired eyes.

“Sit quietly, my little lamb,” she told me. So I sat next to her. But Mamma kept watching her with a pained look. It was as if she knew what the girl was going through. Mamma is smart, the smartest animal I know. I tried sitting quietly, putting my head between my front legs to block out the girl’s screams, but it didn’t work.

Helplessly, I watched as the man paced back and forth. I saw his lips moving, holding his hands in the air as if he was giving up. Meanwhile, the young girl laid in the hay. Her face was covered in sweat, so much so that her hair was sticking to her face and neck. I could see the veins in her forehead popping out. She let out another loud scream.

“Mamma, please tell me what is going on!” I cried.

Mamma looked over at me.

“She is having a baby.”

A baby? I’ve never seen a human baby before. I knew about humans because I could see them walking outside the stable. They would walk down the dirt roads, guiding the mules, or taking the herd of sheep out to the pastures. Someday I would be going out to those pastures with the humans to watch me. But all of those humans were big. I didn’t know any little humans.

The sun began to go down. It was getting colder. The girl human was getting very tired. I couldn’t blame her. She had been crying and screaming for a long time. I asked Mamma how much longer it would take for the baby to come. But she said nothing; she just kept watching the girl.

Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, a baby’s cry filled the air. I saw a lot of blood, and felt woozy. Mamma put her face next to mine to reassure me. The man came next to the woman, taking off his cloak and wiping the baby with it. The baby didn’t look as bloody anymore. The girl kept wrapping the dirty cloak around the baby, then holding it very close to her body.

I wanted to see the tiny human. I wanted to smell him, for there was a very unique smell about him. So, I got up on my clumsy legs and walked over to them. I got close to the girl’s bare feet, but then got scared and stopped. What if she didn’t want me to get close to her? Maybe she just thought of me as a smelly animal.

But then I saw her look up at me. She had dark eyes that were brimming with tears. Was she sad from all the pain she had just gone through? Or maybe she was happy because it was finally over?

Her face was smeared with dirt, and her hair was still damp and clinging to the sides of her face. Her shoulders looked sort of slumped, as if she were tired of holding them up. She looked overall tired… but then I noticed she was smiling.

“Come here, little one.” She reached a hand out to me. I sniffed it eagerly.

“That’s it,” she coaxed, “Come meet Jesus.”

So I got closer. So close that I could see the baby’s closed eyes. A little fist stuck out of the cloak and the girl gently kissed it. Suddenly I felt like there was something very special about this little human. He was different somehow, although I didn’t quite understand why. After all, a stable really is no place for a human baby. It’s too cold.

“Will you sit by us and keep us warm?” the girl said, as if she could read my thoughts.

I looked back at Mamma, unsure of what I should do. I wanted to keep this baby warm. I really did. But I was scared.

“Don’t be scared,” said the girl. “Jesus loves you so much.”

This baby loved me? Why? I was just a little lamb who didn’t know anything.

Overwhelmed, I sat next to the girl, who placed Jesus between herself and me. We soon all fell asleep. It was truly the best night of my life.