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 “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”  -Luke 2:19

My heart has never been as full as when I gave birth to each of my children. It sounds cliché but giving birth is truly a miracle. The exhaustion of each pregnancy and the pain of childbirth climax to what I consider the greatest emotional experiences of my life, and I treasure each one of those memories.

I guess that’s why during the Christmas season,  I become this emotional mess who can’t help but cry when I witness a living nativity scene in a Christmas play or reread scripture about Christ’s birth. It’s all about that swaddled baby. Shepherds and Kings kneel at the foot of the manger and Angels worship the miracle of the Christ child. And I sit with tears welling up because I can relate to treasuring the blessing of birth and the three gifts God gave to me.

I cannot even fathom Mary’s emotions, and her pondering God’s choice to allow her to carry in her womb the miracle baby— the salvation to the world.

God chose the most inconvenient circumstances for Mary to have a baby. An unwed, teenage mother who has to live with the cultural shame of an unplanned pregnancy. This could have led to the end of young Mary’s future. Giving birth out of wedlock could have forced Mary into a life of begging and prostitution, as that was the risk in those cultural times. But God asked Mary and Joseph to have faith and trust in this unplanned event in their lives as His intentional promise to the world.It was a choice to see beyond their circumstances, and faith to understand God could bring hope and glory from having a baby.

I don’t know about you, but the birth of Christ, especially at this time of year, draws me to my knees in prayer.

We live in a world where babies are in the headlines of politically motivated news stories instead of in birth announcements. Where words like pregnancy, unplanned, and birth are overpowered by the word “choice.” Babies are too many times reflected in sentiments of being unwanted instead of desired or treasured.

While our society gets bolder in shouting their abortions and embracing a woman’s right to “choose” as a cultural norm, I can’t help but reflect on that intentional message at Bethlehem.

God was deliberate in the plan of the miraculous conception of Jesus from a virgin and all the circumstances surrounding His birth. That baby—held by such a young mother and a father who risked societal shame to live out this mighty plan of God— is the hope of our salvation.

Ponder that! Let it sink in. We are the intended purpose of God’s plan. A plan derived from Mary and Joseph’s unplanned.

There will never be an understanding of the hope and sacredness of life without the acknowledgment of the Savior. Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection define the value of all life. It gives every baby’s life worth—planned or unplanned. When we understand why Mary “treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart,” then we can truly comprehend the sanctity of life.

This is why the gospel message must be wrapped in the pro-life message. Without the divine plan, it’s impossible to understand faith in the unplanned.

So, once again, as I watch that living nativity in remembrance of that miraculous day in Bethlehem and become an emotional mess of a mother, I pray that more people will know the gift of salvation. The hope of life. And treasure God’s intentional plan for all the unplanned circumstances in our lives.

*This is an adapted reblog from 2015.

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Let me set the scene for you regarding this photo.

I was sixteen years old on a mission’s trip to Germany. It was a bike tour from Bingen to Bonn where we stopped along the way at different towns and ministered in the streets through pantomimes. Our faces painted, no words just gestures, and sharing our faith through action. A crowd would gather around us, and after our pantomime act someone would speak and share their faith testimony.

I have never enjoyed being in front of a crowd. My fair skin will often reveal my nervousness with red blotchy patches of embarrassment. However, this time there was a sense of comfort hiding behind that white face paint and only having to express actions and not words.

But then one day on our mission tour, I was approached with the most interesting question by one of the leaders. He asked me, “Would you share your testimony today after our street scene?”

I honestly answered him, “I don’t have a testimony!”

He looked a bit puzzled and questioned me, “Julie, are you a follower of Christ?”

I nervously laughed, “Um, yes but I don’t have a story. I have never done drugs, been involved in a crime, and I made a decision to follow Christ when I was about five years old. My life is pretty boring. I don’t have a testimony!”

You have to understand my frame of reference here. I was raised in a ministry called Teen Challenge. It’s a faith-based drug rehabilitation program that has ministered to many men and women with life-controlling problems. It’s a ministry that I have recently written about in my book titled Giving Hope An Address.

At sixteen years old, all I understood about sharing a testimony was that it somehow had to include a former life of drugs, abuse, crime, prostitution, and maybe even a prison sentence. That was all I knew about sharing what Jesus Christ had done in a person’s life.

When you grow up listening to residents in a Teen Challenge program tell their testimonies of amazing transformations of God’s saving power from addiction, your own somewhat sheltered life looks a little dull in comparison.

But I’ll never forget the words the youth leader said to me after my naïve proclamation. He looked into my eyes and pointedly said, “Julie, you have one of the most powerful testimonies. You have been caught in the grasp of God’s hands at an early age, and by God’s grace YOU ARE KEPT.”

I still choke back tears remembering his words to me. I will never forget them.

Even when I feel like I don’t live up to the life I am supposed to live as a follower of Christ, I still remember— I am kept.

When life is hard—I am kept.

When I experience pain—I am kept.

When I feel unloved—I am kept.

When obedience is difficult— I am kept.

God’s promises are true whether we fall in the grasp of His hands at five years old or fifty years old.

One of the reasons I wrote my recent book was to express my gratitude for all those who walked through the doors of Teen Challenge and were willing to let God transform their lives as testimonies of His grace and mercy. Their life transformations and their willingness to share their stories, sealed in my heart a devotion to Christ that has kept me. I am always learning and growing in the knowledge of who Christ is in my life, but I can STILL say with confidence that I AM KEPT.

 

Never underestimate the power of your testimony, friends!

Share what God has done in your life no matter how boring or how tragic you think your testimony is. Never let embarrassment or shame keep you from sharing your story with others. We are called as Christians to share the light of Christ to the world.

It would certainly be easy just to share my faith through actions and not words. To hide behind a painted face and not reveal who I really am. But I can’t do that no matter how difficult it is to express myself with spoken words and with blotchy skin.  Because when you experience the powerful testimony of being kept by the hands of God, it’s a place you want others to experience with you.

Share the hope of being KEPT. It’s a testimony that never gets old.

 

 

Note:

My blog is changing. I want to use this platform to share other people’s stories and testimonies. Today I started with my own.  From time to time, I might share another person’s story with you through a blog or interview format. So stay tuned by subscribing to this blog.

And in case you missed it, here’s another powerful testimony by my friend Kelly that I shared last year.

http://www.theradiancefoundation.org/eva/

 

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Photo by Omar Lopez on Unsplash

My son’s middle school does something that I love. Every semester the school hands out character value awards to nominated students.  A student is chosen by a teacher for displaying the following values: commitment, integrity, respect, and responsibility.

I’ll take a minute to brag that my children have received one of those awards on occasion. As a parent, it’s nice for your child to be recognized for character traits that you work hard to instill and model in your home. It is also a refreshing way to acknowledge a student outside the  academic world where everything seems to focus on test scores and grade point averages.

But I have to admit something, it feels like a lie. If character matters, why is it so rarely recognized and esteemed in the adult world?

You might be living under a rock if you don’t feel the great divide and hatred between people over political beliefs and social opinions. It’s intense and social media doesn’t help.

But this post isn’t about specific political opinions or pointing blame at groups, individuals, or even how we have allowed hateful discourse to fill all types of forums in our society. This post is how do we— as parents—teach our children values that they carry with them into adulthood? How do we—as parents— encourage our children to respect others who believe differently than us? How do we do this in the face of what seems like a character-less society?

I think I have the answer, but it is not easy. It requires some work in values like commitment, responsibility, respect, and even integrity. Are you ready? Drum roll….

Encourage your children to form friendships with others who think differently than them. *Gasp!

My husband and I have tried to instill our values in our children. We are a family that discusses faith, politics, and cultural issues-ad nauseam sometimes. We don’t shy away from talking about relevant topics, and we guide our kids to think through issues for themselves. I can’t express how important it is to have these types of discussions in your home.

But do you know where my kids begin to develop their opinions and beliefs fully? Not from us. Yes, we guide them on where to start their foundation of thinking, but they find their voice from talking to their friends who believe differently than them. It’s also where they have learned how to respect others and how to value friendships.

I have been encouraged by watching my children form relationships with others who think and believe very differently than they do. It’s encouraging to notice a bond grow where political or religious beliefs are not factors in their friendships. Some come from families who believe very differently than our family. But these friends have found a commonality between them. It’s a unity not driven by political, cultural, or social stances.

Now I realize that young people (under 18) don’t vote and some don’t understand the ramifications of political choices, yet.  But they do understand the value of respect and the commitment to friendship.

But I don’t see this type of respect in society today. In fact, I think we are getting further and further away from it. It’s like we have lost that child-like ability to see each other as humans first before our political or social belief systems.

Photo by Matheus Ferrero on Unsplash

I wonder, will those kids—that bond of friendship— dissolve after high school when they notice the real world likes to congregate in bubble think groups—where collectivism reigns above individualism especially on college campuses? Will they forget about respecting people for the bond of friendship itself outside of political or religious affiliations? Will character values still matter?

I admit I like congregating with friends who think like me. It is nice having “amen” corners and sharing thoughts with people who agree with me. But here’s the lesson. You don’t grow in character in “amen” corners.  You don’t challenge yourself to have empathy and respect for others by congregating in groupthink communities. I have learned to stand firm in my beliefs and convictions not from friends who hold my ideals but from those who have challenged my beliefs. Character traits form in the face of opposition.  I am grateful for friends and family that have forced me to think for myself. It has helped me to grow and mature in my character.

The political divisiveness in this country is ugly, but it is not a political problem. It is a cultural problem. We solve it by choosing to emphasize character first and befriending people both inside and outside of our comfortable circles. It doesn’t mean we have to compromise our personal beliefs, but it is about making the conscious effort to respect people for being just that—people—before their politics or social stances. That takes a bit of work, and it requires an exercise in character. But maybe if we model that for our kids, and we keep rewarding them for it, they will continue to form bonds of friendships which are based on character and not on divisive idealism.

I have hope for our future. I have hope for my kids and the next generation. Let’s take a step back and make a commitment to put character where it needs to be.  First!

For our kids’ sake!

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baby-holding-finger

All it takes is a “like”, a nod, or a thumbs-up to point to the value of life in the womb.

Sometimes the strongest messages of life are accidental. They are chance happenings. An Instagram photo of a pregnant belly at week number 30, a video of unborn twins moving in a mother’s womb, a Facebook post of “We’re Pregnant” after a friend’s struggle with infertility or a blog of that designer’s nursery with a beautifully decorated room for their youngest client.

Nods of life happen all around us. We give a thumbs-up to a post, we hit that heart emoji, and we embrace a culture of life unintentionally. It’s because at the heart of our human condition we intrinsically know the value of life. We immediately react to those double lines on a pregnancy test because we know what incredible gift a baby is to the world.

It’s true that we are also surrounded by intentional messages such as political slogans, hashtag movements, campaigns, or purposefully driven memes that point away from the beauty of life. But the older you get, the more you understand that the greatest lessons are not from the calculated moments but from the accidental or spontaneous instances that add to a person’s life story.

We don’t have to look very far to see inadvertent messages that point to life. I am encouraged that many, unintentionally, are pointing to the value of life in the womb. They are not politically driven or planned pro-life stances. But they are spontaneous moments that speak to the sanctity of life.

May we celebrate the unintentional-deliberately- to highlight life inside and outside the womb!

Here is one example:
https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FJoannaStevensGaines%2Fvideos%2F1548546948585833%2F&show_text=0&width=476