If you are reading this on Monday morning…you
are more than likely tired. You have
survived another Christmas. The bottom
of the tree might now look bare…ripped off wrapping paper may cover your carpet…and
your belt might need to be loosened from all your overeating.
I wonder if that’s what it was like the
morning after the first Christmas. Yes,
I’m sure Mary was tired from giving birth the day before and Joseph was
probably feeling the effects of watching his beloved Mary endure the pain of
childbirth. But I have to believe there
wasn’t any letdown the morning after Jesus’ birth. I can’t imagine that these new parents felt
harried from the events of the past days or experienced depression because the
big event was now over. Their focus during those days leading up to His birth
had been on making sure they were prepared for His arrival. Nothing else mattered. All the good times and
the bad times before that big day were now just a blur as they held their
precious baby in their arms.
I wonder if the reason we sometimes feel a
letdown the day after Christmas is because our focus leading up to this
celebration wasn’t on Him. Could it be
that we were more intentional on making sure the gifts for our friends and
family were bought and wrapped, the food was all prepared and the parties were
all attended…than on waiting with anticipation to celebrate Christ’s
birth? Oftentimes, we are so exhausted
by the time Christmas finally arrives, that we just put ourselves on autopilot
to get through the day…knowing we can collapse when it is all over.
If that is where you find yourself today, it’s
not too late to refocus. Take some time
to read the following thoughts that I shared with you several years ago on what
it might have been like to talk with Mary after she gave birth to her baby
Jesus. As a mother myself, I can imagine that she was bursting with pride as
she held her son for the very first time. I can’t help but believe that if
anyone would have wandered by that stable those many years ago, that Mary would
have said something similar to these words:
“I’m sorry to bother you. I know you are all
so busy, but I just have to tell someone. You see, just a few short hours ago,
I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. He’s the most gorgeous baby I’ve ever
seen. He has dark curly hair, and chubby cheeks, and 10 fingers and 10 toes! I
think he may even have my eyes!
It’s been such a long nine months. I’ve had so
many different feelings and emotions. First, I had an angel tell me that I was
going to have a baby and that I was to call him Jesus. The angel said that my
baby would be great and he would be the Son of God. Of course, that was just
the beginning. I had terrible morning sickness those first few months, and then
once I started showing, I was the talk of the village. I could feel people
staring and whispering behind my back. There were days that I wondered why I
was chosen for this and why didn’t people believe me when I told them that I
was carrying the Son of God? I guess it did sound pretty unbelievable.
But you know, when I held my baby Jesus in my
arms for the first time, it made it all so worthwhile. Did I tell you how
beautiful he is? I can hardly wait to see him smile for the first time and see
him take his first step and say his first word.
I do worry some about how others will treat my
son. I wonder if they will love him like I do. The angel told Joseph that Jesus
was the Messiah and he was coming to save the people from their sins. Will they
listen to him? I wonder if they will realize how much God must love them to
send this child into the world to save them. Will they turn from their wicked
ways or will they reject him? I wonder... what will you do?
Well, I hear my baby crying and I must go and
see what he needs. I do want you to see him and to know him personally. I want
so desperately for him to be a part of your life.
By the way, did I tell you how beautiful he
is?”
What a night that must have been and what a
“morning after” they must have experienced. You and I can also feel the same
closeness to the Savior as they felt so many years ago just hours after His
birth. Let’s make an effort today to
spend more time at the manger with our Messiah and savor the moments with Him. I’m thinking that if we are intentional on
keeping our focus on Him…our spirit will be refreshed and our soul will be
renewed!
P.S. It
will soon be five years since I began writing a weekly blog post and to my
knowledge I haven’t missed a week. There
have been times when I haven’t had a clue as to what I was supposed to write
about…but the Lord has always been faithful to guide and direct me. I’ve now decided to do something I haven’t
done before and that is to take a month off…so I will not be blogging now until February. I’m
feeling like my spirit needs a rest to refuel and be re-inspired. So it’s not goodbye…just “talk to you later”
in February! Happy New Year everyone!!
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