Christmas 2013

Christmas was wonderful.

With my Mom's side of the family we have this wonderful tradition that I love. We reenact the nativity scene every year. When I was little I was always the angel, and now that I'm older and some of our family doesn't come, we're missing about four kids, and four people in the nativity is a lot! So even all grown up I still dress up. And you know your man loves you when he dresses up too. One of the reasons I love our nativity is my uncles, they're always laughing and cracking jokes. So when you think of the nativity you may think of reverence, I think of jokes with everyone laughing and smiling with a little reverence mixed in.

This year we were Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus.

I am a very sentimental, dramatic person. As I was thinking about how Mary would have felt, I thought she must have been like every other new mother plus the extra weight of responsibility of raising the Son of God, the Savior of us all. As a new mom, I can see it now, "I know that he's the Christ, but I just want a break from people visiting! All I want is a nap!" I can only imagine how she loved this baby, and how she wanted to take care of him, when in the end it would be Him taking care of everyone, including her. Just as a normal mom, trying to get him to go to sleep, and this little baby just crying. 

I wanted to sing Silent Night. As Mary to baby Jesus, I thought lullabies help Jacob, Mary probably sang to Jesus too. 

Jacob was ready for sleep and wouldn't stop crying. So I shushed and rocked him while everyone read their parts, and my uncles cracked jokes. Through the pregnancy and birth (even though it was pretend, I didn't like it), the shepherds, the wise men, the angel, Jacob cried. And then it was my turn to sing.

It may sound corny, but I felt a calm fall on the room even amidst the laughter. I really felt like Mary, singing to baby Jesus. And as I sang Jacob closed his eyes and stopped crying, finally falling asleep. 

For the first time I could connect with Mary and Joseph. As I sang the words took on a new meaning. 

Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon virgin, mother and child

Holy infant so tender and mild…

Sleep in heavenly peace,

Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night

Shepherds quake at the sight

Glories stream from heaven afar

Heavenly hosts sing alleluia 

Christ the Savior is born,

Christ the Savior is born

Silent night, holy night

Son of God, love's pure light

Radient beams from they holy face

With the dawn of redeeming grace

Jesus Lord at thy birth,

Jesus Lord at thy birth.

I'm so grateful for my Savior and my God. I'm so grateful God loved us enough to send His perfect son to die for us, to show us mercy because we are imperfect. I'm grateful that Christ chose to suffer for our sins so we don't have to. It's not fair that He had to do that for us, but I'm glad He did. 

I love Christmas. Celebrating the birth of someone so important in my life, and the lives of so many others. I hope that we can keep the "spirit of Christmas" in our hearts every day. To be Christlike, kind, loving, patient, honest…

Happy Birthday Jesus

-Love, Courtney