A Night of Nights

It seems like it was yesterday when I held my baby boy in my arms for the very first time. I gazed at his delicate face and could not find the words to speak. I had dreamed of the perfect thing to say to him once I finally got to meet this little person who was growing in me. But here I was, speechless. I imagine that is how Mary felt too. What do you say to the baby Savior? Because He is God's Son, He would already know who you are, right? When I finally got over the fullness of what had just happened to me, I know I said, "Hi, I'm your mommy. I love you." I would love to have been a fly in the manger to hear what she said, see what she did. I think about the Max Lucado story, The Crippled Lamb. It was read at Christmas time to our children during a children's sermon, then I borrowed it from Natasha and returned it just today. (another reminder that God is in control!) I read it to my students as part of a "culture" lesson during Christmas time. But the main character, the crippled lamb, was in the barn when Mary gave birth to Jesus. Oh, to have been there.

The world must have seemed to stop for Mary as she lay there and admired God's handy work. She took those quiet moments after His birth to ponder what had just happened. She took in every moment, every sound, sight, smell. She made a very conscience effort to remember every detail of this moment, for no other mother could boast what she could. No other mother would carry a baby as special as hers. God had given her the greatest gift. He had just given it to the world. She took in the realness of the moment.

I think if I would take the time to stop and enjoy the important things in life, I could appreciate how special what I have really is. But with the hustle and bustle of life, I don't. I don't think that we do stop and "smell the roses" enough. We don't take in the beauty of it all. We think that because we aren't busy with something every waking second, we are doing something wrong. We try to fill the "down" time with anything. I know I think about all the things I have to get done. I have a list a mile long of things I have to get done. But, because I am learning I am not in control, I have not even come close to finishing that list, plus, I am always adding to it.

I think God wants us to take time to get away from the lists in life and focus on what He has given us more, like Mary. Instead of working from the time we open our eyes to the time we fall into bed, we should stop and take the time to watch our babies as they sleep, thanking God for these precious gifts. We should stop and praise Him when someone tells us we have done something good at work, even if it is a student. We should be thankful and really think about what God has given us and how we can give back to Him.