The Invisible Secret of Christmas

Did you ever wonder what it would have been like to be Mary, the Mother of Jesus? Would you have ever imagined that something so marvelous would have been born of a peasant woman? A woman who was, uhummm pregnant, before she was married???

Perhaps there is a little Mary in all of us. We all have our individual stories. We all have a past, over even a present, that is a little less desirable than we care to admit. If you have ever been a Mother, you may well understand that at times, it can seem like a frustrating, thankless job. This Christmas tho, I wanted you to think about your role as a Mom as if you were Mary.

Envision this sweet baby boy lying swaddled in a manger of hay....oh the dreams she must have had for him. By the age of 7, he was imitating his father in the family's carpentry shop. By adolescense, things began to change......why one day he ran off they couldn't even find Him! When they finally found Jesus, they found him in the temple preaching, and when they met up him, he simply questioned, "Who is my Mother? Who is my brother?" What kind of response is that!!!! Heavens, he sounds a little like my 12 year old!!!! Perhaps it was here that Mary, began to realize that God had a unique plan for her Son. Still, did she ever imagine that her innocent Son would be crucified to a cross for the sins of all mankind? Do you think she fully understood, even as she watched in horror that day on Calvary's Hill?

Now, for you Dads, we can't forget about Joseph....although the Bible hardly references his name. What if he wouldn't have taken Mary secretly? What if he wouldn't have waited to consumate his marriage until after the Jesus was born? What if? Would you believe that there have been many astonishing carpenters after the life of Joseph, that had many "invisible" secrets as well?

As the mother of a 12 year old, I can relate to some of Mary's feelings. I can remember the completeness and joy that autumn, November 3rd morning when I gave birth to my daughter. I can remember the sacrifices of nursing as I curled my toes in anguish waiting for the "let down". I can remember the interrupted nights of sleep, the loneliness of a toddler Mom, the thousands of diapers I have changed. Today I feel the 88 miles I drive each day to get her to a great school, the times I go without to give her $20 to go have a good time with her friends, the worry as I think of ways to help her feel good about her grades at school, the regret for all the times I have yelled and disciplined in anger, the confusion of how senseless and unrewarding this all seems to be!!! But what if.....what if I could peek ahead and see the admiration of my day to day invisible labors. What if it the admiration does not come in my lifetime or Whitley's, but in the life of a great grandchild? Will it have been worth it then?

Sometimes, I think that it is perhaps is better not see the result of our work, or we would become puffed up with pride and self centeredness. I have to remember that the whole duty of man is to worship God by doing his will.....even it seems like our life's efforts and labors are invisible. I wanted to share an e-mail below that has changed my life this Christmas. I connected easily with the story as just a Christmas ago, our friends we met on a cruise, Norm & Karen, made a video of all the beautiful cathedrals in Europe. I remember Karen, sharing with me that many of the artisans and craftmen, never saw their work completed! So, grab a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy the story of "The Invisible Mom", below.

Invisible Mother......

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone (or even on the toilet) and ask to be taken somewhere.

Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm busy?'

Obviously, not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a taxi to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.' I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated sum a cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going; she's going; she is gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England . Andrea had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself.

I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Andrea turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe . I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Susan, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work. No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Susan. I see the sacrifices you make every day,even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcakeyou've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.' At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my ownself-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.

The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because thereare so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree. When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My mom gets up at 4:00 in the morning and bakes homemade pies. Then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'you're gonna love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women. (and men)

I hope this encourages you when the going gets tough as it sometimes does. We never know what our finished products will turn out to be because of our perseverance. Mary and Joseph, would probably blush to see the statues and stories written about them, moreover their Son Jesus.

Who are you living your life for? How will your story be told 200 or 2,000 years for now? Will you abandon your project half way through? Will the quality of your craftmenship endure the test of time for others to enjoy? Or will we make an edifice for ourselves?

May the INVISIBLE SECRET of CHRISTMAS be apparent in all of our lives!!!!