Advent Guide: You BelongSample

Agape Love Swaddled in a Manger

There's nothing quite like the surge of love you experience when you see a newborn snuggled in a bassinet at the hospital.

Can you imagine when Mary looked over at baby Jesus in the manger?

The feelings of maternal protection she must have felt while gazing at the Son of God. And yet, we know Mary to be the mother of Jesus who ultimately surrendered her earthly desires for her son so he could not only live as one of us but to die for each of us.

As I anticipate the birth of our second child, I again feel a kinship with Mary. There's an anticipation of who might this little person be and become. When will they decide to make their debut? But just like Mary, I have to rest and trust in the reality that whoever God has gifted us in this pregnancy and birth is just who the world needs.

Throughout the New Testament, agape love is referenced more than 200 times. Agape is one of several different Greek words for love but is considered the highest form of love. This is a pure, committed love out of choice – not out of obligation or attraction.

I don't think I truly grasped the magnitude of agape love Jesus had for each of us until I became a parent. You're gifted a small glimpse of the love that looked at us from the cross on that fateful day.

The picture of agape love I hold close is Mary looking over Jesus, snuggled in cloths in the manger, knowing both their lives ahead were going to be different and scary and challenging. But she wouldn't change it for a thing.

This year, hold tight to whatever picture of agape love God places on your heart, and remember: God has the purest love for you – no matter what.

Emily Ahrens is the director of marketing communications for Buckner International. She cherishes the quality time with loved ones that comes with the Advent season.