Well, actually, Lucy wasn't so much in the spirit of things. Instead of nursing contentedly and peacefully drifting off to sleep, she was spending her time simultaneously attempting to eat and express to us that her tummy hurt via her unique language of wriggles, squirms and grunts.
Sometimes reality seems a far cry from the idealized notions we have about life.
I started listening to Christmas music shortly after Lucy was born (for those who know me, you realize this is very late in the year for me!). I first broke out my Christmas playlist during the middle-of-the-night feedings when I was struggling with the baby blues. This was certainly a period of adjusting expectations about life with a newborn! Since then, I often find "Silent Night" playing itself in my head. When one is up at 2 in the morning with a crying baby, the night does not seem so silent, or peaceful. What must it have been like for Mary, a teenage girl, to be recovering from giving birth in a stable, having to get up and feed and change her baby every couple of hours? "Sleep in heavenly peace" would seem more likely to be a prayer than a description of reality.
But then, sometimes reality is so much better than any picturesque, pastoral scene we can contrive! Move on to the third verse of the song... "Son of God.... Jesus, Lord at Thy birth." What an incongruity! That the Creator of all things made Himself into a baby! I think of Lucy's limited ability to communicate just her basic needs, totally dependent on others... and this was also true of Christ! I so often find myself looking at Lucy, amazed that God chose this form. I am overwhelmed by the thought of how much He must love us and desire reconciliation with us. What a wonderful Lord we have!
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