I
want to wish you a very Merry Christmas from my home to yours. How wonderful it would be if I could open my
door and invite you in to my entry way with a hug and a heartfelt; “Thank you
for coming, Merry Christmas;” and express my love and appreciation for you.”
If
this beautiful daydream were to come true and we were to spend some time
together, I’m sure at some point I would have the opportunity to show you my
favorite holiday decoration…My simple, but awesomely special Nativity.
It is so special
to me because each piece has been created and handmade by my husband over the
years. It is unique and one of a kind,
made by someone’s hands and heart I appreciate and love very much.
I
would want to pick up the first piece my husband gave me years ago to show you
how much I love it. The figure of Mary
cradling baby Jesus in her arms and holding him softly up to her face, so their
cheeks were touching is beautiful and so meaningful to me.
Sisters, how
often have we done this with our tiny ones.
I’m sure you can recall as I can the special, even sacred feelings of
sweet peace and joy that filled your heart and mind as you considered your love
and dedication to your child as you held them close to you.
I have often wondered
and pondered about Mary, especially at Christmas time. I try to imagine her experience and feelings
as she heard a heavenly angel tell her she was blessed among women and ask her
to be the mother of Christ our Savior…her
Savior.
My ponderings
about Mary were enlarged when Elder L. Whitney Clayton said the following in
the April General Conference of this year.
“Mary had been a young woman when the angel Gabriel
appeared unto her. At first she had been “troubled” by being called “highly
favoured” and “blessed … among women … and cast in her mind what manner of
salutation this should be.” Gabriel reassured her that she had nothing to
fear—the news he brought was good. She would “conceive in [her] womb … the Son
of the Highest” and “bring forth a son … [who] shall reign over the house of
Jacob for ever.”
Mary
wondered aloud, “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?”
The
angel explained but only briefly, affirming to her that “with God nothing [is]
impossible.”
Mary humbly responded that she would do what God asked, without
demanding to know specifics and undoubtedly in spite of having countless
questions about the implications for her life. She committed herself without
exactly understanding why He was asking that of her or how things would work
out. She accepted God’s word unconditionally and in advance,4 with
little knowledge of what lay ahead. With simple trust in God, Mary said, “Behold
the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.”5
I, like Mary, “when she cast in her mind what manner of
salutation this should be,” on a much lesser level than what was asked of her
- have been troubled at first when
Heavenly Father asks things of me that I don’t understand as a woman and
mother. Thinking surely, He must be
worried as He sees clearly my weakness and lack of faith or perspective.
I wonder if He can see more in us than we can in ourselves? Perhaps when He is asking us to walk through
difficult things we don’t understand, He is seeing us as His highly favored
daughter, who is blessed among women because of the knowledge and power we have
in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and our covenant promises with Him.
We can all relate to the feelings of fear and discomfort when we
find out a loved one has fallen to a pattern of unwanted behavior that can
cause many consequences and needs support to heal. Our lives can be turned upside down and we
can wonder what hit us.
We want to know the why.
“Why did this happen and how?”
“Why am I the one in pain when it feels so undeserved?” “Why is such a painful thing required of me
and my family when we have tried so hard to get it right?” “Why can’t I find the answers and support I
need?” “Why is there no peace or hope?”
Here is a fact I have come to realize. It seems to be true for almost any pain - if
we want to find peace and hope in the pain of trial and start gaining a growth
perspective that will lead us to healing - we
have to want to find Christ more than we want to find the “Why.”
Mary was able to accept God’s
will in faith because she wanted Him more than she wanted to understand all
the answers. When the angel told her
that with God nothing is impossible, she believed him.
Remember what Elder Clayton taught us that Mary did?
“Mary humbly responded that she would do what God asked, without
demanding to know specifics and undoubtedly in spite of having countless
questions about the implications for her life” …can I/we?
She committed herself without exactly understanding why He was
asking that of her or how things would work out…. can I/we?
She accepted God’s word unconditionally and in advance,4 with
little knowledge of what lay ahead. With simple trust in God, Mary said,
“Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.”5
It is beautiful that faith
in our Lord Jesus Christ is the FIRST
principle of the gospel.
Mary wasn’t perfect, but she was the perfect Mortal Mother for
Jesus. She was willing to have faith in
Him first. We’re not perfect, but it’s
important to consider we are the best mortal mothers for our children even with
all our imperfections. And we can follow Mary’s example of believing Christ,
and no matter the storms we are asked to stand in…put our faith in Him first.
Even when, it’s downright
hard sometimes to do this!
Here is the “why” we should fight for this…
“When we decide to do “whatsoever [God] saith unto” us, we
earnestly commit to align our everyday behavior with God’s will. Such simple
acts of faith as studying the scriptures daily, fasting regularly, and praying
with real intent deepen our well of spiritual capacity to meet the demands of
mortality. Over time, simple habits of belief lead to miraculous results. They
transform our faith from a seedling into a dynamic power for good in our lives.
Then, when challenges come our way, our rootedness in Christ provides
steadfastness for our souls. God shores up our weaknesses, increases our joys,
and causes “all things [to] work together for [our] good.”6 Elder L.
Whitney Clayton
May we all follow Mary’s example to accept God’s will and use
our trials, and even questions, to come closer to Christ and let Him work
miracles in our lives.
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| I wish you all a very Merry Christmas as you enjoy the Savior’s love this special time of year! |
