I've been thinking a lot about the virgin birth this year. Perhaps thoughts have been going through my mind because we also are expecting a child very soon. I have been thinking a lot about Christ's birth in a stable. What was Mary & Joseph feeling or thinking when they could not find place anywhere else and Mary was in labor? Yes, I believe God can and does give peace in moments like that, but still as human beings I wonder what thoughts would have gone through their minds. It is kind of humbling to me to think that baby Jesus was born in a dirty stable instead of somewhere nice and clean and now days we have sanitation and much cleaner hospitals for our babies to be born in.
Another thing that I have thought about, is that Mary didn't have nurses or doctors to tend to her and the baby. Yes, Joseph was there and I am sure he pretty much knew what to do, but it's so much more comforting to know that someone, even a midwife, is there to help if or when needed.
All of these thoughts help me to appreciate this season a little more this year. I guess it just gives you a different perspective.
It seems to me that the world around us is getting crazier and crazier. We are also becoming more and more busy and caught up with our selfish desires and wants that we forget the real reason for the season. Instead of concentrating on Jesus' humble birth, we are focused on other things around us and making sure this or that is bought or checked off of our "To Do" list. Can you imagine how different our world would be if we simply turned our eyes away from our selfish desires and focused more on Jesus? I believe if we focused more on Jesus there would be less corruption, less selfishness, families and marriages would be stronger, and the world around us would be a totally different place.
My goal for this coming year is to do exactly that. I want to focus more on Jesus and on what He has done for us by being born in a stable and dying a treacherous death on the cross for our sins.
Let us not forget the real reason for Christmas!
