as Mary gave birth beneath the stars, in a dirty barn, next to farm animals, without a midwife, or even a bed, i can't imagine what she must have felt. if i had been her, i would feel forgotten and bitter; my heart probably colder than the night's air. as songwriter Andrew Peterson says, "It was not a silent night." Mary's labor was painful, uncomfortable, and plain hard.
yet, she was chosen and called blessed of God.
Mary's lesson is simple and profound. being blessed doesn't mean a comfortable life. it does not mean you'll have nice things. it does not mean things will go your way. it does not mean trials will flee from you. it does not mean you will always be healthy.
being blessed means Christ in you, the hope of Glory.
now this is the blessing. far greater than any earthly comfort. it's the comfort our souls long for, the peace our weary minds desire, the rest for our tired bodies. it's in the uncomfortable that we find the true Comfort.
maybe you're looking out a dark window into dreary places, hope seems scant and comfort seems lost. may glimmers of hope cross your eyes as you find comfort in knowing the Creator blesses you with His presence because of Christ.
linking with rachel today. i'm truly thankful for the Comfort i have as a child of God.
and thank you, lea, for the gorgeous cross pictured above. my family will cherish it always.
37 {comments}:
Profound and wonderful truth...and post. Thank you for that this morning!
This is such a beautiful post.
Thank you for the beautiful focus. Isn't it amazing when you start thinking about the reality that was their circumstances...how much more real and beautiful it becomes! Happy weekend friend.
This is beautiful Carissa! Very encouraging.
I love reading your posts, so thank-you!
I am convinced that you should write a devotional book. Your writings are so inspiring and so full of truth. Thanks for touching my heart this morning.
The picture is just gorgeous! Hugs!
Lovely. It wasn't a silent night and as my pastor says "Jesus did cry. He was an infant." Not the easy, pretty picture we have made it...which makes it all the more special.
Love this. It's so amazing to me how Mary's beautiful spirit seems so much more alive and real once you have kids. It's like that feeling you get when you meet a fellow Mom who "gets" you. A kindredness on the pages of the writen Word.
Inspiring.
I have been covering the Nativity story for about 3 weeks now in the Bible Study I lead (at my public high school) and I LOVE this... I am going to add this into my lesson for next week...
I have been focusing on the faith of all those who were involved:
Mary- she was told she was going to have a child, from the Holy Spirit, and she was afraid- no one believed her- she was (more than likely) threatened and frowned upon by her community... Joseph (at first) thought she had been unfaithful... That took an incredibly brave woman of God to withstand.
Joseph- He had to believe that the angel in his dream and Mary were telling the truth... he acted upon what the angel said immediately and took Mary as his wife. He didn't wait, he didn't do what the Lord had said on his own time, or when he felt like it, or when he even was able to fully believe or understand it- he just DID it. That took faith... He really had to swallow his pride.
Wise Men- the wise men defied King Herod and did not return to tell him where Jesus was, but rather warned Mary and Joseph (of Herod) and then fled themselves... that took faith.
Shepherds- they left their livelihood (their sheep) unattended to go and see the Christ-child... that had to take a ton of faith.
You can take the Nativity story at face-value, and a lot of Christians do not really "study" it because they figure they already "know it" but God speaks through His word... it is the "living and breathing" Word of God... it isn't stagnant.
God has really moved in me this Christmas season through the story of His son's birth.
Thanks for sharing this! :)
Makay
www.thebirdssay.blogspot.com
exactly what I needed to read today - thank you so much!!
beautifully put
we have advent devotions each monday in our home...last monday i talked about just this...about mary and the birth in a stable....and yet she was chosen by God.....
I love this season...i got all goosebumpy
i was blaring my fav song "mary did you know" last night (the kenny rogers version) and sobbing....the kids think i'm insane...but wow! such a awesome story!
Love this. It wasn't a silent night. My mind has a hard time wrapping around what it was really like when our Savior was born. I don't think it was as peaceful as we like to picture. But thank goodness Mary endured the dark night and Jesus came to give us hope when we have dark nights. Thanks for this reminder. It is SOOOO comforting knowing we are His child. Amen!!
great post! ministry can be lonely and discouraging but this was a great reminder that He never promised for it to be comfortable... but He's already given us His presence. That is definitely cause for hope and praise!
this is beautiful!
so profound.
Beautiful, Carissa. I always forget about that aspect, until I watched this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nativity_Story) movie. Definitely a favorite. :)
Much love and blessings,
~Bree
And I... am grateful for the truth HE put into your words. What a beautiful post, thrilled to have found you!
YOUR blog design is scrumptious!
Amen.
Mary's pain didn't end at Jesus' birth. She also had to endure watching her Son be tortured and hung on a cross to die. Mary is a wonderful and perfect example of womanhood and motherhood.... Of submission to God's will and the resounding 'yes' that echoed throughout her entire life. Now, Mary is an amazing advocate and intercessor for those on earth that love her. Mary had influence over her Son on earth and that influence continues now when she brings our intentions to the feet of our Lord and begs on our behalf.
beautiful. needed these words today.
so true. i think of things like that when i'm walking around in our freezing cold, dark barn. no i'm sure it was not all soft glowy light, angles softly singing & the smell of fresh cut hay.
thanks for giving us all something to ponder.
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
That cross is extraordinary -- lovely -- she sent one to me and I truly cherish it. There is something profoundly beautiful and sentimental about it.
Love you. And thank you for sharing your heart and the truth.
Rachel
love this! and i love that you are so real on here :)
blessings!
Beautiful, Carissa. I think too many Christians expect their walk to be comfortable and trouble-free, but we're certainly never promised that. (in fact, we're promised the complete opposite)
But what joy that we have hope - eternal hope! I'm so thankful for that, and I'm thankful for how you said it so perfectly.
thank you for this. exactly what i needed to read tonight. grateful for finding your blog, praise jesus!! xo
thanks. i needed to hear this. i am going through something that is really so trivial in the grand scheme of things but it is making me anxious! i need to remember we all face trials and in the grand scheme, this is not that bad.
So true, thank you for that reminder.
Ashley
Such a beautiful post. A wonderful reminder.
i can't even imagine what Mary did. Christmas happened because of her willingness to serve God and her love for Him.
I love that song! One of my favorites, and so good to read your thoughts on it.
Carissa, this is beautiful. Just beautiful.
Beautiful and true.
beautiful and inspiring...love this post and it's so true!
absolutely beautiful post! :)
That is so true! I used to wonder if Mary's labor was painful or if she was somehow exempt. Then I began to realize none of the really good things ever comes easy, but that it is always okay in the end. I just read Ann Voskamp's book on thankfulness. It is a little hard to read but a wonderful story about overcoming and being thankful.
I wanted to come back and say I just finished the book, which i thought was relevant to the topic of this post, about seeing the good in the uncomfortable. However, I no longer feel I can recommend it as she kinda went of the deep end. That is just my opinion. Thank you for your thought provoking post nonetheless!
abbey - i have no way to contact you as i don't see your comment connected to an email address. but i ENTIRELY AGREE. i have veered away from the topic of the book, because i've felt like the lone soul who can't stand the unbiblical imagery that shows Jesus as a High Prince rather than High Priest. glad i'm not alone. : )
I was so open to what she had to say on thankfulness, because it was something I needed to hear. As a mom, reading about thankfulness from another mom in the midst of raising six, it made sense to me because of my own struggles. And to hear her being so thankful out of such a tragedy really does get a persons attention. However we have to be so cautious as Christians about believing everything we read just because there is some truth in it, even if the author is well meaning. I would love to hear some of your thoughts on it, when and if you have time of course. Speaking of truth, I am sorry for saying I was finished with it when I wasnt. I didnt even realize I did that.
abcmillet@yahoo.com
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