“Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Zechariah 9:9

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Feeding animals is a humbling job. Just ask the one who does it. It is easy to believe that I have little or no impact on the world and that I’m no better than the cows and donkeys I am feeding.

When I begin to feel worthless, I remember the prophecy of Zechariah proclaiming that one day, the Messiah will come riding into Jerusalem on a donkey just like the ones I feed! And what if it is this donkey here in my stable that I am feeding? I realize that if I do not give him hay, the donkey may not have enough strength to carry this king. And Zechariah does not say when this will be. What if it is today or tomorrow or next week?

And so I humble myself, and I do my job. It may not be much, but if the Messiah must one day sit on a donkey, I pray that it might be mine. And to be sure my donkey will be ready, I will put extra hay in this manger each day just in case. Because you never know when the Messiah might come.

Graham Bland is a 10th grader at Southern Guilford High School. He is the son of Chris and Anna, and brother of Brittany and Carter.