Friday, September 22, 2006

Rambling Thoughts on the Christ Child

I was recently holding my sweet, little newborn baby while listening to these Chris Rice lyrics referring to the baby Jesus Christ:

Fragile fingers sent to heal us,
Tender brow prepared for thorn,
Tiny heart whose blood will save us,
Unto us is born.

Looking into the happy eyes of my baby, so unaware of all the evils in this fallen world, my heart was broken over the thought of the innocent Jesus, once a tiny baby himself, suffering so greatly for our sins. I held my little one closer. I wanted to hold baby Jesus and express my sorrow over the suffering I caused him.

But, what would it be like to hold the infant Jesus? What would it be like to look down at the sleeping child in your arms with a foreknowledge of his life, death and resurrection? How would it feel to hold the great I AM?

I never really thought very much of Jesus as a baby until I became a mother. Now I sometimes try to imagine things from Mary's perspective and wonder what Jesus was like as a newborn, a toddler, and so on. What was Mary's labor like? Did the newborn Jesus like to be nursed to sleep or rocked? What did the four-month-old Jesus find hilarious? Was the 12-month-old Jesus very eager to learn to walk, or was he more cautious? Did the 19-month-old Jesus love to dance? Which foods did the 2-year-old Jesus dislike? Which animal most fascinated the 3-year-old Jesus? What did the 5-year-old Jesus like to draw?

Isn't it fascinating, wondrous and miraculous that the God of the universe has breathed our air and walked our sod? Isn't it beyond our comprehension that he would humble himself so, coming into the world as a weak, fragile baby with poor hand-eye coordination and low visual acuity, dependent on a young woman to feed, clothe, bathe and hold him? What a stark contrast to the right hand of God! What an amazing Savior we have!

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