No ultrasound.
No due date.
No delivery room.
No prenatal care.
No birthing classes.

What was Mary thinking as she walked the long dirt road to a town miles away from her home and her own mother, not knowing when this baby she was carrying would be born?

Can you imagine her fear?  Her uncertainty?

I’m sure she was fearful of what people would say.
She probably didn’t know what to think of all the pains and weird feelings of labor.
I imagine she cried and dripped with sweat as she groaned through birthing pains.

She had to be uncomfortable as she probably stepped in cow dung and laid on itchy straw with slobbery animals staring at her while she tried not to breathe in the smells of the barn too deeply.

And I’m sure she was scared.  Scared to death.

But after the birth, I wonder what Mary was thinking.

I bet she realized how blessed she was.  She had a warm, dry place to have a baby.  She had her sweet Joseph to comfort her.  She got to be the mother of the Messiah prophesied for years.  And she had the favor of the Lord.

She had to be thinking how awesome this was.  Yes a big responsibility.  But it was so stinkin’ cool that she got to be the Mother of Jesus!!!

As we hustle around wrapping gifts, decorating our homes and preparing our oversized meals, may we stop for just a few minutes to remember the reason we celebrate Christmas and give gifts.  God gave His gift to the whole world.  One gift.  On a symbolic Christmas Eve night.

Mary focused on that one gift that first Christmas.  Her baby.  Emmanuel,  Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Jesus.

May we also focus on this one gift as we remember Jesus on our own memorable  Christmas Eve.