This is written by our dear sister-in-law Leah, who is married to Paul the 7th child of the O'Brien clan.
The
Christmas season brings feelings of anticipation, joy, and memories of the
past. Christmas is not for a determined age or gender. The thought of a spruce tree standing in the
corner of the room with light bulbs tangled meticulously through the limbs, making
the room glow, fills every heart with warmth. Children gaze at the tree that
towers over their small frames waiting for the moment that the gifts magically
appear under it. I am quite firm about
placing a LIVE tree in our house based on the fact that the house fills with an
aroma that smells as if a fresh rain had passed through a dense forest.
I love traditional Christmas music. There is
one rule though; Thanksgiving festivities must be over to begin listening. The
smooth voice of Bing Crosby’s Winter Wonderland drifts to my ears as I write
this. The classy notes of the fifty’s and sixty’s move your body to naturally
dance around the room with a smile and perhaps a loved one tagging along. While
certain songs filter through the air I usually grab my children, spinning in
circles and giggling, my husband joins our little dance party. The treasure of watching
my mom and aunt skipping around and laughing as if they were children again
only fills my mind with memories for the future.
All of these things: green trees, crisp air,
gleaming lights, gifts, music, food, hold a special place in my heart when
December appears on my calendar. But there is one thing that is even dearer to
me and holds a permanent place in my heart. His name is Jesus Christ. During
the celebration of Christmas we tend to get caught up in the hustle and bustle
of the season. This season does hold a very special place in my heart. My
daughter was born right after Thanksgiving, my husband was born two days before
Christmas and my son was born Christmas Eve! I will never forget hearing the
day my first child was predicted to be born on Christmas day! Not knowing the sex of the baby, I prepared
the best that I could.
During
the Christmas season, my church celebrates the birth of Christ through songs
and testimonies. My very pregnant body would sit and stand and then sing
traditional Christmas songs which took a lot of effort, any pregnant women will
tell you this. I meditated on the words as the people surrounding me sang, some
hitting notes that weren’t part of the original score and others mouthing the
notes they respectively could not hit.
My mind would wander to Mary and how she carried Jesus, the Son of God.
Mary traveled far, on a rough donkey, and gave birth to Him in a filthy place.
I could not help but think of my own preparation for my own child. I was fairly
certain that my baby would be born in a clean place with heat and clean
clothes. As I predicted, my precious baby boy was born in a clean place, not
without a few difficulties, but a healthy little boy had arrived. The first cry
coming from my precious little boy’s mouth made my heart jump with joy. I held
him with amazement and wonder. Mary most likely felt the same when her baby boy
cried for the first time, except her arms were wrapped around her Savior, our
Savior.
The
Christmas season is a celebration of Jesus’ birth. Just like we celebrate our
own birthday with special foods and presents we ought to celebrate Jesus’ birth
with the same fervor and pleasure. I pray that we would not focus selfishly on
ourselves and never forget His birthday. His birth brought us eternal life!
That is something to celebrate! As this season gains speed with the
anticipation of presents, the joy of celebrations, and the memorable moments to
be made we should bring our hearts before the Lord Jesus Christ. Give thanks
for His loving sacrifice and celebrate His life!
No comments:
Post a Comment