Who Made You?

Hopefully we all have at least a few books that we absolutely treasure.  One of my treasures is a book called We and Our Children, by Mary Reed Newland.

I'd like to share a couple of excerpts from this treasure with you ~

"Stephen, do you know who made you?"

"Who made me?"

"God made you, Stephen."

"Oh."  And he stops, and thinks, and confirms it.  "God made Stephen."

"Do you know why God made you, Stephen?" he will hardly ever answer, "No."  But almost always, "Why?"  And you tell him, "Because He loves you."  And Stephen knows the most important thing in all the world.

This is security, the first and last and only real security.  And we must make it so real for our children that they will look out at the world from the snug safety of God's love.  They must know that He loves them as though they were His only love, and that they need not fear the dividing of His love because it is indivisible.  It is like the flame of a candle, which will light another candle, and another, and another, and still burn as before.  Nowhere is there more love than this.  This is all love, it never changes, and they may turn to it from the middle of sin or sanctity and always find asylum.

Each and every time I read these words I'm warmed from the inside out by their simple truth.  As wonderful as it is to share this bit of necessity with my boys (and oooh how wonderful it is) it wouldn't be possible if I didn't know it ~ believe it ~ myself.  So I wonder ... how many people don't know this, really know this, inside out?

Today is the first Sunday of Advent ~ the time of year that we prepare for the coming of the Baby Jesus.  I can't begin to tell you all of the lovely thoughts that race through my brain as I contemplate what it must have been like for Our Blessed Mother.  She said, "Yes" to the angel, Gabriel.  She wasn't married; She didn't know how she was going to explain this to her mother or to her betrothed; She might have been stoned to death; she had not planned this.  Yet, she said, "Yes" ... to God ... to Life Itself.

"God made you, dear, ages before He put you on this earth.  You were in the mind of God so long ago that even Mother cannot tell you when it was.  Always He knew you, always He wanted you, and because He knows all things, He knew when was the perfect time for you to come so that you could do what He has planned for you."

During this Advent as my mind is turned to thoughts of the Expectant Virgin Mother I will be praying for this understanding for us all.