A Christmas Quickening

Some of the most memorable Christmases for me have been while I was pregnant and anticipating the births of my own children. During these times, I’ve been drawn to Mary, Jesus’ mother. I try to imagine what she must have felt and thought…a young girl, pregnant, unmarried, carrying within her womb the Son of God. Did she have bouts of morning sickness? Or stretch marks on her stomach? Did her ankles swell up like balloons? How uncomfortable was that long trip to Bethlehem, nine months pregnant and about to deliver her first baby? Was she frightened? Or did she feel God’s presence there with her every day?

As I feel my own body changing and growing to accommodate the child within me, I wonder at the miracle of this tiny life, this child God is creating inside me. Who will he be? What will she look like? What does God have planned for their lives?

Both of my children have allowed me to get to know a little about their personalities while still in the womb…by the way they moved. Especially at night or during other quiet times when I was relaxed and not hurrying about with the day’s busyness, my little one would come to life, wiggling and squirming, punching and kicking. These were such precious times of private communion for me, alone with my baby, a child the world did not yet know.

I guess, as Christians growing in our relationship with God, we are very much like an expectant mother. God is present in our lives all the time, but sometimes we need to slow down and take a break from all the busyness of our lives in order to feel the movement of His Spirit in our hearts.

Finding quiet moments can be so very hard, especially during the holiday season. Make the time to sit back and feel the movement of God’s Spirit in our lives and wonder in amazement as we celebrate the miracle of the Christ Child alive in our hearts this Christmas season.

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Be still, and know that I am God

Psalm 46 : 10 (NIV)