“You are Seen” by Katie Taylor

I’ll never forget my first Christmas as a mom. Will and I traveled to my hometown with our 9-month-old little girl and brought her to the Christmas Eve church service. That December was my first month of being a stay-at-home mom. After months of trying and struggling and praying through it, I left my career in the media business and held that little girl on my lap. So much had changed in my heart since having her. 

An old friend sat behind us, someone who had a very successful career in New York. Small talk led me to share that I’d left my job. A former classmate, he was climbing the corporate ladder while I was stepping off. He jokingly asked, “so, how does it feel not to be contributing to your family’s income?” The question caught me by surprise. 

“Great,” I said as I turned around in my seat to face another direction. And as I squeezed Mary’s chubby thighs on my lap and heard her giggle, it did feel great. I felt so incredibly blessed and full of love and purpose. But the conversation reminded me there’s a world out there who forgets about you when your days are spent within the four walls of your home raising your babies. During those baby years, another word I would use to describe it if I’m being honest is…lonely. 

Forgotten about…

Unseen…

I recall times when I would go to a dinner party and be asked, “What have you been up to?” One time I almost blurted out “breastfeeding” to one of my husband’s friends, but held it in not having the words to answer such a simple question. What had I been up to that is relevant to the world?  

I remember those weeks when my babies were all sick, when my car would stay parked in the driveway for days on end, and when the only other adult I saw was my husband who had a life outside of our home. Those were the days I would often wonder what was happening out there. 

And as the Christmas Eve service started that night and the lights grew dim, I pondered that question…what was I missing? As I listened to the familiar story of the birth of Jesus, I wondered for the first time what was happening outside of that stable. If we widened the camera lens on the town of Bethlehem, what else would we see? Surely there was much more happening; gatherings, celebrations, the bustling of commerce. There were moments that didn’t make the script. They weren’t meant to.

Warm tears filled my eyes as I was overwhelmed by the beauty of Jesus’s arrival in a new way.  

He came in obscurity. 

He did not arrive in a way people would notice. He did not come in a way culture would congratulate. He came on the outside of it all. He arrived in the quiet, in the darkness. He had a momma who held him tightly in a place away from the world. And He has a special way of pursuing those of us…on the outside of it all.

I felt like He whispered with an approving smile on that Christmas Eve night, “I see you.”

…

Eight years later, I’ve been reflecting on that moment as Mary has played “Silent Night” on the piano. The lyrics make those tears come back in the best way. And so did watching my youngest just sing in her last preschool play. A new season brings new perspective, and I wanted to take a moment today and encourage those of you who have little babies this Christmas…

I pray the story of Mary and Jesus and that quiet night in Bethlehem would come alive to you like never before. I pray, like Mary, you would “treasure and ponder” these things in your heart (ref Luke 2:19). As you gather with family and friends, I pray you will feel Your Heavenly Father wrap His arms around you and remind you that you matter much. You are dearly loved. And I pray you will encounter the all-powerful and all-humble Jesus who chose the path off the beaten path, that you will hear His whispering reminder that some of the most glorious, amazing moments in which all of the Heavens rejoice are those that happen…in obscurity.

You’re an insider to an amazing story. 

I see you. God does too. 

Merry Christmas. 

He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; He gently leads those that have young. Isaiah 40:11 (NIV)

~ Written by Katie Taylor ~

Katie is the wife of Will Taylor and blessed momma of three young children. Her passion is journeying alongside people toward freedom in Christ. She loves finding treasures in God’s word and everyday life.

Tags: baby jesus, Christmas, Katie Taylor, Mary, motherhood, new season