Last week while at a Women of Faith conference something was brought to my attention. This thought has stayed with me ever since. I knew God meant for me to hear it, and it would be selfish of me to keep it all to myself.
Mary was a young virgin girl whom God chose to carry His Son, Jesus. We have always thought of this being such an honor for Mary, because it was, but have we thought about how this "honor" changed her life? We read that her fiancé, Joseph, had a hard time accepting her crazy story, and probably would have left her had he not be visited in a dream by an angel. The Bible doesn't tell us if Mary's parents were visited in their dreams. How did they feel about her story? Did they believe her? I'm sure the majority of the town she lived in thought she was crazy.
When Mary was due to deliver at any time, she and her husband traveled to Bethlehem to pay taxes. I know how I am when I'm ready to give birth -- not only do I need my husband, but I also want my mom by my side. I wonder how Mary felt? There was no room in Bethlehem for Mary and Joseph. They finally found an innkeeper that was willing to let them sleep in a stable instead of on the streets. I'm sure the smell wasn't pleasant, but the straw kept them warm so I'm sure they were thankful for that. And just in time, I'm sure, because beautiful baby Jesus was born that night. I'm sure Mary had different plans on how to spend her first Christmas...
When things are not working out the way we want them to, when we're feeling stressed or even completely alone this holiday season, like Mary, we have Jesus -- and that is was Christmas is all about. We have so much to be thankful for!
Gracie, have you watched "The Nativity Story"? It's my new favorite Christmas movie. It's so moving, and it portrays the conditions the Jews were living under at the time of Christ's birth. It follows Mary's betrothal to Joseph and the skepticism they would have faced from their family and friends when Mary became pregnant. The filming is really, really neat--there's some fantastic shots with great lighting effects. I intend to watch it every Christmas season. I made Nathan quit watching "Wanted: Dead or Alive" tonight, long enough to watch it with me. :-)
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