As we are nearing Christmas, and preparing for the celebration of our Lord’s coming, I reflect back on my life a little. Thinking about all my many blessings that the God has bestowed upon me, and I thank Him for them so much. But, as thankful as I am for the blessings, how much do I really love and appreciate them as Christ did us?

This Advent season, I have focused on Christ’s coming and what it really meant. What it meant for Mary, for Joseph,  and what did it mean for our Heavenly Father?

            Mary was still very young when an angel came to her and told her the Holy Spirit would come upon her and told she would be with child and he would be the Son of the Most High, Emmanuel, God with us! Mary was promised to be married to a man named Joseph, whom she didn’t love. What an awkward situation to be in, still being a virgin, yet still being with child. Did anyone believe her? Was she qualified? Yet, she knew and had faith that she had a purpose, a great purpose, and so she continued on having faith that God would show her a path. And he did. He told her about her cousin Mary who was also with child, who we now know was John the Baptist, so that she was not alone in her journey.

            And Joseph? What must he have thought when he found out that Mary was with child, but knew she was to be pure for a year prior to their marriage? What must he have been thinking? Betrayal? Easy? So he pondered on it and went to take a nap. An angel also appeared to Joseph, which told him not to fear that Mary was with child by the Holy Spirit coming upon her. He was to take the child as his own, and name him Jesus. He will be God with us. God made flesh. Wow, how awesome is that? At the same time, they both had to endure scorn and shame from their people, and they did not know what would lie ahead of them, how they would accomplish what they set out to do, or how to raise the Son of God. At the same time though, Joseph and Mary both knew what others did not know or would not believe until the time came.

             How much must God love us to go through all of that trouble to come and live among us, teaching us to love one another, how we should live, what to value in this life, and what to do with it. Just as God had a purpose for Mary and Joseph, so he has one for us. We may not be responsible for raising the Emmauel, God with us, Christ the King! But our purpose is still of His. I don’t think that I ever truly realized, as deeply as I now do at this point in my life, just how much God does love us. We will never fully understand until we see Him face to face, the full depth and breath of His love, but I am closer now than I have ever been before. Our purpose is to deliver God’s message to the world, to love one another. Not eating and devouring one another. If we would truly believe that, we could stop trying to find things, people, money and other things to make us happy, and trust that God will take care of those things for us. For that is the only thing that will truly make us happy.