I hope I can make it through this post without tears! :)
Did it ever drive you crazy when your parents would reminisce on your birthday about the actual day of your birth? OR were you one of those who, like me, enjoyed hearing the story told just one more time and thinking about the excitement of that day? Despite the joy I found in those moments (and memories) I never imagined that I, too, would sit before my own child recounting the events of his birthday...but today I did and I loved every minute of it!
Our son was born on a Thursday. I remember the details of the morning, following a long, somewhat scary night in the hospital, as though they were just a few months ago. We were scared by Carter's quick, significant drop in heart rate from the moment they attached the heart monitors to my belly. The repeated terror at the thought of losing this child that I had carried for 9 beautiful months was petrifying. Nurses flocked to my side, my husband held my hand and gently brushed away my tears, and my family and friends gathered near to provide support and encouragement. The umbilical cord had been wrapped around his neck, and my body was producing 7 minute contractions which only complicated matters. After 11 seemingly endless hours, Carter was born by C-section. Dr. Link (the best OBGYN anyone could have) had told us that just a few more hours and he might not have made it. BUT, thanks be to God, and to Dr. Link who later told us he'd felt God's prompting to have us come to the hospital a full day earlier than planned, we held our precious 7lb. 10 1/2 oz. baby in our arms.
It is hard to believe that two years have passed and here I sit now holding my "baby" who once expressed his love through snuggling and tears, but now can sit and say that not only does he love us, but he loves God. My heart is full to overflowing with gratitude to God for blessing us with this child. What a miracle he truly is...
All this leads me to reflect on what it must have been like for Mary to carry and give birth to Jesus. What was it like to hold baby Jesus in her arms, knowing that he was The Child of God?On his birthday, would Mary and Joseph reminisce about their journey to Bethlehem? As the years passed, what was it like for them to see Jesus teased, persecuted, and sacrificed on the cross? I cannot imagine feeling the all-consuming joy of bearing the child of God only to experience such pain in seeing him put to death. I am grateful today not only for the miraculous gift of Christ's birth, but also for the gift of salvation we have through him. What a miracle HE truly is...
