*Photo found on Pinterest
I tried putting myself in your shoes this morning.
Engaged, virginal. You followed those rules.
You were a good girl.
Then suddenly, your whole world changed.
Pregnant, yet still a virgin.
A supernatural conception.
Something the world had never seen.
You knew the Truth, but others didn’t.
They were going to see your belly and just assume…
And they were going to judge.
Were you afraid to tell your parents?
Were you scared to tell your fiancé?
You had to assume they wouldn’t believe you.
After all, nobody gets pregnant yet remains a virgin.
Did they call you a liar? Did they make you feel unwanted?
I don’t know how these things worked in your day,
But I can imagine some of what may have been said.
The accusations and strongly voiced opinions of others.
The scornful looks. The not-so-quiet whispers.
What must you have had to endure?
How long did their judgements last?
Was it all okay after you and Joseph got married?
Or were you married before you even started showing?
They probably assumed the baby was Joseph’s -
Did you ever cry tears of joy to have him by your side?
There you were - blameless. You’d done nothing wrong.
You knew you were innocent of all their accusations.
This wasn’t how you envisioned having a baby.
Yet, when the angel came and called you highly favored
Then proceeded to knock your socks off,
You humbly replied, “I am the Lord’s servant.”
Did you know that one moment of obedience by you
Would cause you to be a woman we’d always remember?
God must have seen you as incredibly special.
He chose you, young Mary, to carry our Savior.
What an incredible honor bestowed upon you.
I imagine any pain of people’s judgements disappeared
When you first looked into Baby Jesus’ eyes.
I wonder…
When you cuddled your child close and breathed Him in,
did you catch the scent of heaven lingering on His skin?
*Photo found on Pinterest
Brave Joseph,
I don’t claim to know how men’s brains work,
but I tried envisioning how you must’ve felt in all this too.
There were probably a lot of different emotions running through you.
I imagine there were feelings of betrayal.
Maybe you felt deceived. Hurt. Angry. Sad.
You thought you knew the woman you were going to marry,
but suddenly…she’s pregnant?
“How could she do this to me?” you may’ve asked yourself.
Did you scoff at her claims of still being a virgin?
It’s possible, but I don’t think you did.
You may have not believed her, but I don’t think you were cruel to her.
You proved yourself to be a kind man.
You were going to stand beside her, still marry her.
Then divorce her in quiet because you didn’t want to disgrace her.
That shows your strength of character, I think.
You would subject yourself to the judgement she would now face.
By not immediately casting her aside, you made yourself a target.
They would assume the baby was yours.
Then an angelic visit shed light on everything for you.
You still must have endured your own share of disapproving looks, though.
You were innocent, but thought to be guilty, just as she.
Or maybe that’s not how it worked at all.
Maybe you weren’t judged as harshly because you were male.
I don’t know how your society dealt with such things.
Either way, this wasn’t how you planned on becoming a father, was it?
God must’ve seen something really honorable in you.
After all, He entrusted His only Son into your care.
Your life turned out far differently then you must’ve envisioned.
I mean, did you ever think you’d have the role of Papa to the Messiah?
I wonder…
Was it ever hard to be the leader of your home,
knowing you were raising the Creator of the world?
*Photo found on Pinterest
Precious Jesus,
Did You recognize the world You created when You arrived?
You were fully God, yet fully man.
How did Your brain work? Did you understand everything right away?
Or did You learn at the same pace as the other babies?
It’s hard to wrap my brain around it all.
You willingly stepped out of heaven to live amongst us.
You became human. Fully human.
You knowingly took on the limitations of a human body.
Was that ever frustrating for You?
You stepped out of Your Kingdom and bowed low to enter earth.
Did You ever just sit and simply miss Your home in heaven?
You didn’t show up as a King, You came as a baby.
A baby!
Fully dependent on others to take care of You.
You Who created life, Who knit humans together,
Were now being formed in Mary’s womb.
You Who had provided them food and nourishment
Now relied on them to keep you fed.
You Who is All-Knowing… now had to attend school?
Before You ever died for us, You had already made
Some incredible sacrifices to be with us.
You left the adoration of one home knowing
You’d be scorned in the next.
You didn’t come in demanding our loyalty.
You didn’t place Yourself in a wealthy and well-known family.
You came, knowing the life You’d live.
The things You’d go through.
The pain and trials You’d endure.
You came into a world that had no room prepared for You,
Born in a barn, laid to rest in a manger.
All of heaven must’ve held it’s breath as,
With one final push from the sweet Mary,
The Darling of heaven began His journey
As a little babe among us.
You came, knowing what we’d do to You.
You came, loving us enough to endure it.
You came, miraculously and humbly.
You came. You came. You came.
*Photo found on Pinterest
Dear Friends,
With all the hustle and bustle of what Christmas has become,
We sometimes lose sight of the real Reason for this season.
Him. His birth. The night our Savior came to be with us.
What a beautiful moment, with all creation holding it’s breath,
As our precious Jesus was born…
The beginning of our Redemption story.
May we be reminded of the true meaning of Christmas this year.
May we see past all the decorations and presents
To catch a glimpse in our minds eye of that precious manger.
Though He’s not a baby in that manger anymore,
May we never forget that He once was. For us.
As we gather with our loved ones, may our hearts be filled
With a simple yet grateful prayer:
Thank You, Jehovah, that You came.
Merry Christmas, Dear Ones. My love to you all <3
*Photo found on Pinterest
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