Shirley and I were watching a dramatic television show recently where a young woman and her husband were happily on the way to the hospital to deliver her firstborn. But on the way she and her husband were involved in a tragic auto accident. Both of them were alive and escaped the car, but they feared for her baby! Severe birth pains were beginning, and they knew the little one had to be delivered there on the ground with two policemen as her only attendants. The scene was most dramatic and captured our hearts as they spoke of fear for the baby’s life. Anxiety was great as the officers did their best, and she called on her husband to pray. Then, after what seemed like an hour, a sudden little cry pierced the silence! That tiny but piercing sound announced to the world that a new baby man-child was alive and functioning! When I heard that little cry I found myself crying, too, at the meaning of it! I thought to myself, for the first time really, of what a mother must feel when she, too, for the first time, hears the voice of her newborn babe. Not only is it beyond my capacity to properly explain or put into words, but I am also sure it is also beyond the ability of every mother who experiences the miracle she has just been a part of!
The Lord Jesus left the splendor of Heaven’s glory and became a baby for all of us. In His helplessness and innocence He cried out like all of us did when we were first born. At Christmas this season my thoughts go back to that baby’s strong, sharp little cry, and I am amazed afresh at the planning and purposes of the Godhead. Because of that Baby, the Lord Jesus became my Savior, and I will never get over it. What it must mean to have Jesus in our hearts is beautifully put in the following little story that has touched me deeply. I offer it to you for your joy and edification.
“A mother never forgets the first time she sees her child. She memorizes in her heart the wonder of each tiny feature. She runs her fingertip tenderly across her infant’s silken skin. She checks each finger and toe. Her heart skips a beat as tiny eyes look up at her – helpless except for her protection and care. Mary must have felt the same wonder as she gazed down at her sweet baby boy, lying in His manger bed. Jesus was indeed the Savior of the world, but for those first precious moments, He was simply Mary’s Child.”1
I hope we all figure out fresh and deeper ways to gratefully respond to the gift of Mary’s Child who is now our Savior!
1. Rebecca Currington, quoted in The Big Book of Christmas Joy.
