Fear Not

"And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. And behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS."
Luke 1:30-31

Merry Christmas everybody!

I am sure you are not all religious. If you are or not, I think the story of the nativity has some beautiful lessons for us today.

This particular scripture, quoted above, really struck me this year with such a powerful message. I think it applies not just to life in general, but also to birth in particular.

"Fear not" is what really stood out to me.

Life, is scary business. It is intimidating and particularly overwhelming as we approach something new or look out into the unknown. As humans, our response is so often one of fear. And yet fear tends not to be the most helpful emotion to carry us through the parts of life that are unknown or unwanted. Fear just makes them harder.

How interesting that Mary was told in particular NOT to fear as she embarked on her (unasked for) journey as the mother of the Christ child. I can not pretend to know what that was like for her. But it is not hard to imagine that being unmarried and with child must have been a scary prospect.

May we all take a lesson from this beautiful scripture and story of the birth of Christ. We have nothing to fear if we are doing what is right.

The Christ was not born in a sparkling new sanitized hospital. There were no doctors present. They were not even in the comforts of their own home. This young family was traveling when they welcomed their first child. And yet I can only imagine that it was a beautiful and safe birth. We know that both mother and child were healthy and strong.

May we approach life and birth without fear. May we find peace in our God and His promises if we but try to live as He has taught.
Merry Christmas-