Pondering Things in My Heart

There are a few things I've been pondering lately as we celebrate Christmas...

I've thought a lot about what it would have been like to raise Jesus. A literally perfect child. If you were his parent, would you feel unnecessary? Was he a perfect baby? Is "Away in a Manger" right when it says, "No crying he makes?" Did he learn everything easily and early? I would assume he never whined or fought with his siblings, right? Did he seem odd to his parents? Did they wonder what to do with him? They knew he was Jesus--angels told them at conception, then announced his birth to shepherds, then a star led wise men to find their Baby King. Did they know what that meant? Did they doubt its truth on those days when Jesus was just acting like a regular kid? Did they have a clue what pain awaited them--and him? He sounds like both the easiest and most difficult child to parent to me. I wish I could have known him and seen what it was really like.

I loved Third's Christmas Eve service and the reminder it offered that Christmas is only the beginning of an amazing, sacrificial chain of events that led to our ultimate redemption through one perfect God-man, our Savior Jesus Christ. It's unfathomable that this tiny baby born in a stinky stable to a 12- or 13-year-old girl would be God's entrance into our world. Christmas is so much more than one day or a short season in our year. It's part of The Story. A Story we all get to be part of thanks to Jesus arriving as a baby in a humble stable.

And I've just been feeling pretty grateful. Our last year hasn't been without its pain--whose has? But we are blessed. Our whole family has kept their jobs all year--my mom even found a new one and my sister has been able to keep working some, even though she lost her job last year. I have a husband I truly love being with and sharing life with, and I love him. The awesome thing: he loves me too, unconditionally--boy, am I thankful for that! I have a son who delights me. He's healthy, energetic, full of life, funny, smart, sometimes naughty, and being his mom is the favorite role of my life. We have a warm home, small but cozy, and best of all, it feels like home. I have a baby growing inside me, a healthy pregnancy, and the excitement of adding to our family. I have friends that stick by me, even when distance or busyness separates, friends who encourage my faith, laugh with me, cry with me and love me when it is undeserved. I have a job where I feel valued, I enjoy what I do and I am not only encouraged but challenged in my faith. I don't mean to get sappy. Sometimes I just need to say it outloud, you know. Gratitude is a powerful thing.

That's all for now. I'll keep pondering...