The JOY of a New Baby

This morning I had the privilege of holding, loving, ooooing and ahhhhing over a precious gift from God.  The newborn baby is oblivious of the fact that her birth was perfectly timed by God.  She doesn't know (yet) that her arrival brought so much JOY amid the heartache caused by the unexpected death of her grandmother the day before.  She has been---and is---and will be such a source of comfort and joyful distraction for the family as they mourn the loss of their beloved family member.

As I left their home this morning, my heart was overflowing with gratitude to the Lord.  He knows everything we need, even before we know we need it.  He has our lives planned....and has had that plan since before the beginning of time! He created that new little bundle of joy and formed every little fingernail, every soft hair on her head, even those tiny eyelashes and peach fuzz.....knit together in her mother's womb...to become a MASTERPIECE of His making.  

Just think!  Many years ago, Mary held Jesus in her arms...just as my special friend is holding her new baby today.  I imagine Mary had many of the same emotions and thoughts that all new moms do.  "How perfect! How wonderful!  How much I already love him!"

The difference is that Jesus was born to die for YOU and ME!  God's plan for His life included suffering and death on a cruel cross.  I can't imagine that kind of love!   Oh, I think I know how to love...I LOVE my husband and my children and my grandchildren.  So much so that I can't even describe that kind of love.  BUT God's love far surpasses anything we can ever truly grasp.  A selfless love, a sacrificial love, an unconditional love---that's what His love is all about.

So as we ready ourselves for Christmas, let's enJOY the blessings, both large and small.  But let's never forget that little baby boy born so long ago in a stable in Bethlehem.  JOY TO THE WORLD!  THE LORD IS COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!