Labor of Love

I love Christmas music, don't you? It's so cheerful and fun - well, mostly.

This year, I've been thinking a lot about Mary and trying to imagine what it must have been like for her. The following song made me picture it best. It's called "Labor of Love" and it's by Andrew Peterson:

It was not a silent night, there was blood on the ground

You could hear a woman cry in the alleyway that night, on the streets of David's town

And the stable was not clean and the cobblestones were cold

And little Mary, full of grace,

With the tears upon her face,

Had no mother's hand to hold

It was a labor of pain, it was the cold sky above

But, for the girl on the ground in the dark,

With every beat of her beautiful heart,

It was a labor of love

Noble Joseph by her side, callused hands and weary eyes

No midwives to be found, on the streets of David's town, in the middle of the night

So he held her and he prayed, shafts of moonlight on his face

But the baby in her womb, He was the Maker of the moon

He was the Author of the faith, that could make the mountains move

It was a labor of pain, it was the cold sky above

But, for the girl on the ground in the dark,

With every beat of her beautiful heart,

It was a labor of love

For little Mary, full of grace,

With tears on her face,

It was a labor of love

It was not a silent night,

On the streets of David's town

I love, love, LOVE this song! I think it paints the clearest picture of Mary and what she must have gone through (not that I would know). As I sat and listened to this song, I wanted to cry and jump up and down at the same time. Mary...

She was probably 14 or 15 years old. Last year (23), I couldn't imagine having a kid. That's a lot of years I had on Mary. To be that young? To follow God's call? Unimaginable. And yet, at the same time, I want to have that much courage. That much faith.

Do I?

These thoughts are running through my head this year. I can't believe what Mary went through. Of course, there are times when I think my life is "difficult," but it's not. Not like that.

Mary might have had no idea what was happening to her or understood pregnancy. Laying on a cold ground and not knowing what was going on? Dreadful. She went through so much to bring us our Savior. Mary was just so young. So inexperienced. So scared. And yet, she went through this. For me. For you. For us.

That just brings me to tears. Tears of greatfulness. Tears of shame. Tears of love. I wish I could know her. I wish I had her courage.

I. wish. I. had. her. faith.

I wish I were more eloquent in writing this, but I don't even have the words. I just can't imagine what she went through - at 24 I'm not sure I could handle it. I don't know that I could do it. I sat and tried to think about how I would react if I heard I was going to give birth to Jesus, the Savior of the nations, the giver of Life and Freedom... And, I couldn't.

All I could be was so greatful for Mary and her strength. For believing when she probably didn't even understand what was happening to her. For giving birth to my Lord.

She amazes me. And, this holiday season, I'm trying to think about how I want to be like her...