Labor of Love...

I have been thinking a lot lately about the Birth of our Savior, specifically about Mary. What an incredible responsibility to carry the Son of God, to give birth to Him, and raise Him.

I was listening to Jill Phillips song, “Labor of Love.” It describes the birth of Christ as not an easy one. I started thinking about all that Mary knew about what was to come of her Son. I am sure it was a labor of pain and heartache mixed with joy. Her Baby was finally here, but He would face a tough life. She knew Him coming into this world would bring peace and hope to it, but He would have to die to bring it about.

The scripture passage in Luke 2:8-20 talks about the shepherds coming to honor Christ. When I read verse 19 it struck me, it says, “But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.” I looked up the Greek word for “pondering,” it is, “symballo,” which means, “to throw together, to bring together. To bring together in one’s mind, confer with oneself.” I wondered if this was the point that it all hit Mary. She realized all that her Son was going to do, that His mission in life was set.

I thought about when Malachi was born and the bittersweet emotions we all felt on the day he was to be born. We had a general idea of what all he was going to experience, but had no idea the ups and downs the next few months, and even years would hold. I remember being so scared. Scared of being a first time mother, scared of how things were going to go with his birth, and scared of all he was going to face after he was born. I guess in some tiny way I understood a little of Mary’s emotions.

Don’t get me wrong; I in no way am comparing myself to Mary the Mother of Jesus, or Malachi to our Savior. I guess I just thought about how hard that night must have been for Mary, a joyous celebration and a reality of the future. No mother wants their child to experience pain and suffering. Mary knew her Son would face it, and I knew my son would face it.

Then I started thinking about God the Father, Who at any time could’ve called off the whole thing. What was it like for Him? He knew the big picture. He knew what had to be done. His Son’s birth was a bittersweet day for Him too.

I realized that God the Father knew exactly how we felt on the day Malachi was born, and He felt for us. He above anyone else understood what we were feeling. He had been there and was there.

What an incredible God! What a personal God! It reminded me that our lives matter. That Malachi’s life matters to Him.

So as we near the celebration of our Savior’s Birth, lets take time to thank our Great God for being personal, loving, and near. He is the Greatest Father.

“The LORD is near to the brokenhearted. And saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18