Miracles Among The Hardships

The First Christmas
Used by permission from Churchofjesuschrist.org

 Mary, barely more than a child herself, was asked to carry the Son of God.  This she agreed to without hesitation, even though the road before her would be hard, and sometimes lonely.

Joseph, a kind and gentle man, was visited by an angel and asked to take Mary to wife, even though she carried a child that was not His.  He would be the step father of God’s only Begotten Son!  What a gift!  And yet, what a burden!  Surely Joseph wondered if he was really up to the task!  

Mary’s cousin Elizabeth, older and past the time when children could come to her without a miracle, received the miracle she and Zacharia had hoped for.  She too would bear a child and he would have the Holy Ghost from birth.  Indeed, John knew, even in the womb, when he was in the presence of the Son of God (months before Jesus would be born – or even John himself!)

Joseph and Mary, young, but nervous, traveled to Bethlehem where Mary would give birth to her firstborn child without the help of her mother, or any known relatives.  She had Joseph, and no doubt was grateful that he was there in the lowly stable with her.  Surely angels hovered nearby filled with wonder and excitement!

Shepherds, sitting in a field keeping watch over their flock were, perhaps, contemplating when the Savior would come.  Imagine their surprise to see and hear not just one angel, but a whole heavenly host who were singing, and praising God!  They must have been torn between wanting to bow down with their faces to the ground and wanting to look up and take in the incredible scene before them!

These are strange and incredible things, and there were more!  John, feeling unworthy, baptizing his cousin in the river Jordan and hearing Heavenly Father’s voice.  The Son of God, the great Creator, allowing people to spit on Him, taunt Him, beat Him, and in the end to nail him to the cross.  And then the resurrection itself!  Joy after such devastation!

And now?  Are there still strange and incredible things?  Yes!  There are the miracles of new birth.  Of springtime after a frozen winter.  There are answered prayers, and strength for the weak.  There is compassion for the weary, and hope for the hopeless.  

There are always miracles if we just have eyes to see.  If we can let go of our aches and hurts. Our sorrows and disappointments.  Our weaknesses and sin.  If we can take them, and hand them to the child born in a stable, who grew from grace to grace until He knew how to give us grace when we were broken, and love when we felt unlovable. 

We may not follow a star to Christ, but we can follow a prophet, and learn of Christ through His words and actions, shared with us by those who loved Him in life, and death.  Loved so much that they died themselves rather than deny His power.  We can look for the miracles of kindness, and generosity, and smiles, and compassion.  We can look for the miracles of peaceful moments, and the beauty of creation.

During this Christmas Season, I hope all of us will have eyes to see the miracles among the hardships.  The sacrifices in the midst of tragedy.  I also hope that we will reach out with love, kindness, and understanding so that we can be the miracle in someone’s Christmas season.

(I wrote this for my parents but thought I would share it with you too!)