Mom Heart Moments #357

She gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

ONE EVENING THIS WEEK, I was enjoying the sweet fellowship of friends at a Christmas gathering. I was captivated by a tiny, three-week-old baby girl, wrapped in red velvet and sleeping soundly in her mother’s arms.

Musing on her delicate little hands and the tiny lips that opened slightly with each deep, sleepy breath, I was struck by her vulnerability. She was totally dependent on her mother for her very life. Cries of hunger would be satisfied by this mother’s milk. This little baby was unaware of her need for protection, clothing, and the necessities of life, and her well-being would depend on the benevolence of loving parents. Her very intelligence, moral fiber, and vision for life would be shaped by the love bestowed, the integrity lived out, and the words treasured and spoken in the moments and experiences of her life with these two people looking lovingly at her.

What a wonder that the One who commands the myriads of stars and galaxies, earthquakes and storms, the One who numbers the hairs of each person born, subjected Himself to a fallen world by placing Himself in the hands of frail, fallible human beings. That God would condescend to become a dependent, vulnerable baby brought amazement to my heart.

What humility He portrayed for us, coming as a normal baby to live here on earth, entering the home of new parents who had the impossible job of raising the One who would become the Redeemer of mankind! How exalted a position we have that, like Mary and Joseph, we receive into our homes those dependent children whose lives have eternal consequence.

Pray this with me: “May Your humility give me confidence to live humbly; may the integrity of Your heart shape my words and actions; and may my family be that place of redemption from which others may always find Your peace, power, and love.”