Go read this inspired post on Advent, then come back and tell me how lucky I am to be married to this guy.
I was also lucky to be pregnant twice during Advent, preparing my mind and my heart and my body for a real new baby (I know, slightly narcissistic…I realize I am NOT the mother of the Christ child). Yet God knows how to get my attention. Picture me sitting there great with child in the cushy pew during Advent, full of pregnancy hormones, weeping at how beautiful the prelude is, and at the beauty of the story where John the Baptist leaps in Elizabeth’s womb, (and frankly at almost anything else).
Becoming a mother opened my eyes to how much God the Father loves us as his own children. But do take a moment to turn that around. Jesus came as a baby. He wants us to love him as we love a baby. He loves us as a baby loves those who care for it. Not very complicated. Why do we try to make it so? Imagine Mary singsonging, “Wheeeeere’s Jesus….THERE He is!” And imagine Jesus squealing with delight.
I’m not there yet. But I’m definitely gonna meditate on this.
Be blessed.
My oldest child was born in early February, and I was “great with child” during Advent that year. It really was a gift to me to experience pregnancy during Advent. It seemed to intensify the Nativity story for me, and make some parts of it leap to life! Thanks for these thoughts today…I want to meditate on them too.
Thanks for sharing! Thanks for pointing me where I need to focus right now. I have already started that crazy feeling in my stomach…not good. Not good at all!
I was never pregnant at Christmas!! Well, I was once but did not know it !
Lucky, lucky woman you ; ) He’s definitely a gem! This was a beautiful post, as was your husband’s. Thank you for sharing such lovely thoughts to start the season off with!
[...] this picture reminded me of one of my all-time favorite dreams that is quite appropriate to our recent discussions of all things Advent. I was in my twenties when I had this dream, recently married, probably with a [...]