As I await the advent of our first child, I am becoming familiar with its every movement. On the day of birth, I will indeed recognize our little one, this original creation I am coming to know already.
As we approach Christmas, are we familiar with Christ’s movements in our lives, the little ways in which He is making Himself known to us prior to His coming? For He desires that we not be taken by surprise—or miss His advent entirely. He desires that we recognize Him when He comes.
Often it is when I lay down to sleep that I feel the baby moving. I think Christ also begins to move when He senses us drifting asleep. Awake, awake, shake off the night! This shaking from our apathy can be uncomfortable (as a foot in the ribcage will be, I imagine). Either we must ignore Him or we must answer the question now facing us: Where is Christ in my life? Have we been walking blind, deaf, insensible to His extraordinary presence in our ordinary lives? If so, now is the time to open ou
r eyes, our ears, our hearts and prepare to receive Him. And if not, we can always receive Him more fully, like the old mother who has only learned to love her children more with each passing year.
As a young mother, I am faced with such questions as: Who are you, hidden face? What is God calling you to do in this life? Will I be a good mother to you? The answers to these questions dwell within the new life I carry. Soon, yes, soon, I will receive this child, cradle my sweet raspberry in my arms, just as I desire to cradle Christ in my heart.