After the wise men visit the baby Jesus and announce his special role in God’s salvation plan, the Bible tells us –
“Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”
Mary cherishes the moment, but also wrestles with what all this means, this birth, this baby boy, these words of promise. Mary tries to put pieces of the puzzle together and they don’t fit together so easily. Or, said better, the picture on the box is both beautiful beyond imagination and tragic beyond belief.
I picture Mary sitting there in the stable gazing into the distance. She no doubt had to be filled with joy over the birth of Jesus, but she also wonders what God has in store for him. As a faithful mother, she couldn’t help but praise God for this beautiful baby boy. But, as a young woman who knew her child was something special, she must have been overwhelmed as she thought of what he would go through to fulfill God’s plan.
I remember when my first daughter was born, I was swept away by the experience, consumed by the moment, filled with joy. A little later, it hit me.
“I’ve never done this before. Can I be a good father? Will I provide her the love and support she needs. What can I do to help her grow in faith and in love? How am I going to pay for this?”
Cherishing the moment quickly gave way to pondering the future. Wonder gave way to worry.
Parents want what is best for their children, but we can’t control the future. We can only cherish each moment as it comes. When we begin to wonder what the future holds, we simply need to trust the future is in God’s hands.
God loves us so much that he was willing - in Jesus Christ - to be born into the muck and mess of this world and give his life so that we could live joyfully together forever. This God is the One who holds us in His hands from before we are born into eternity.
In this life, we never know just what to expect. But with Jesus Christ, we can expect the best - for ourselves, our families, for the world that Christ came to save. We can expect the best from God, who gave His best to us in the birth of Jesus Christ.
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more on God’s gift of children…
“Divine Intent, Human Consent”
Very nice, Pete
Merry Christmas!
The Pistol fires back: And to you, as well.
I enjoy your writing — a good piece and helpful.
The Pistol fires back: The feeling is mutual. Thanks for dropping by.
Well stated! Merry Christmas Pete–see ya in ‘08!
-Murphy
The Pistol fires back: Right back at you.
Merry Christmas Pete! Thanks for all you do.
The Pistol fires back: Thank you for making it worthwhile.
I really enjoyed this as father of a four year old girl and two month old boy. It was just when #2 arrived that all of a sudden I realized that #1 is growing up so quickly. Just like it took some personal, real-life experiences for me to appreciate the meaning of grace, I think raising these kids through the coming years is going to require a full appreciation of faith. I hope your Christmas was good and that your new year is better.
The Pistol fires back: Thanks for your thoughtful reflections. I also hope your Christmas went well. Always good to hear froom you.
I take medicine 12 years for him I want stop it and come back to my life