This song and video touched me. The pain I felt as I was able to get a teeny teeny glimpse into Mary's world was real to me as I am now a mother... and it was a pain I couldn't endure. I never really thought about Jesus from Mary's perspective until I became a mom. The story took on a whole new meaning and reached into a deeper part of me.
I wrote an email to my friends and family about this mother/son relationship and the Christmas season back in December 2006 and I just found it, and I wanted to post it here:
Hey everybody! Christmas is almost here! Can you believe it!? Below is another great daily reading I thought I'd share. Isn't it amazing to think how Jesus came into this world?!?!?!? I always feel so much peace looking at Raymond (and babies) especially when they're sleeping --- I think that peace we feel is a universal, God-given internal trait connecting us back to how Jesus came into the world - as a babe in a manger. I can't imagine the feeling the wisemen, etc. got when looking at Jesus.
Sometimes I get so upset that Raymond was born before what I thought was the right time to have him. but I know deep down God's time is always right - but sometimes I just get this feeling like I feel bad for not having more for him..... we had goals we wanted to meet before we had kids, but didn't meet them. I just want soo much for Raymond -- can you imagine how God feels for us then, His children?!?! But as I was rocking Raymond the other day I looked over at his nativity scene and just got so emotional. The spirit was letting me connect to how Mary must have felt. Can you imagine the conversations her and Joseph had?!?! Not only for all the other social problems they were having ---- but Joseph did not even plan ahead to set aside room for them in the Inn -- - so they had to have the baby in a MANGER!!!! THE savior of the world in a manger!!!!! I can't imagine the conversations that took place between them. I'm partly kidding --- but really - Mary has a lot more faith than I do. She knew that God would provide for them and she was probably thankful for the manger. Jesus didn't need a fancy bed or to be born in the Inn. She trusted He truly was the savior and she didn't take it upon herself to take complete control of his life -- She knew whose child he really was... God works in silent ways as it says below. It was a 'silent night' when Jesus was born ---- think of all those people in the Inn and around town that were so 'busy' they didn't even know the savior of the world was just born in their own town.
anyway - just wanted to share my thoughts. would love to hear yours!
From: "PurposeDrivenLife.com" dailydevotionals@purposedrivenlife.com
Reply-To: devotionals@purposedrivenlife.com
To: randirooks@hotmail.com
Subject: December 12, 2006 - Gold amidst the glitter - Daily Devotional
Date: Tue, 12 Dec 2006 05:29:21 -0800
December 12, 2006
Gold amidst the glitterby John Fischer
In the little town of Bethlehem, the most important birth in all of human history took place on what we now consider the first Christmas. It was sparsely attended by some bleating farm animals and a handful of shepherds who wouldn’t have been there had not the sky lit up with a multitude of heavenly hosts only minutes before, praising God and inviting the shepherds to the stable. What an invitation! With the exception of that outburst, however, no one else knew. Oh yes, there were some astrologers from the East who figured out what was going on by studying the stars and some ancient manuscripts, but they didn’t make it to town until at least a year or two later when the baby was a child. Why such an uneventful welcome for such an auspicious event?
It’s God’s way. He’s always been quiet about his work on earth. “How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift was given/So God imparts to human hearts, the blessings of his heaven.” He’s even pretty quiet about the way he works in our lives. Silently, he came into the world; silently, he comes into our hearts. No fanfare. No welcoming committee. God has never been into self-promotion. He lets his work speak for itself.
And that would be you and me. Believers are the result of Christ’s coming. It is all about good news and glad tidings for all people. A Savior has been born and he has been born for us. Or as the angel announced it: “The Savior -- yes, the Messiah, the Lord -- has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David!” (Luke 2:11 NLT)
It occurs to me there are two ways to take all the fanfare and glitter of this season. We can see it as the over-commercialism of Christmas, or we can take all the lights, and gifts, and decorations, and parties, and bells, and carols, and Christmas specials on TV -- even Santa and reindeer in the front yard -- and bank them all as celebrations of the birth of Christ. We can even take the conversion of old Scrooge as the joy of new life and forgiveness of sins.
There’s no law against sanctifying the secularization of Christmas in your own heart and mind. It’s what we make of these things that count, anyway. Every single light can represent another soul secured in eternity as the result of what Christ has accomplished.
There was no room available for the Son of God when he came the first time. Let’s make sure there’s room in our hearts this Christmas, and don’t let anyone take away what is good about the glad tidings of Christ’s birth!
I like the new layout! :-)
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