Pastor's Pen


A New Year's Goal

It was a cold Christmas Eve in 1952.  In the midst of the Korean War, a young woman was struggling along the village street, obviously soon to have a baby.  She pleaded with passersby for help.  ‘Can you help me?  Please help my baby!’  No one paid any attention to her.  In fact, a middle aged couple sneered at her and the wife pushed her away, ‘Where’s the father? Where’s your American man now?’  The couple laughed as they walked away.
The young woman almost doubled over from a contraction as she watched them go.  ‘Please’, she begged anyone for help.  Then an idea came to her.  She had heard of a missionary living in a nearby village who might be able to help her and her baby.  Hurriedly she began the trek to the neighboring village.  Shivering and in pain, she struggled over the frozen countryside. But the night was so cold.  Snow began to fall.  Realizing that the time was near to deliver her baby, she took shelter under a nearby bridge. There, alone, her baby was born on Christmas Eve.  Worried about her newborn son, she took off her own clothes and wrapped them around the child – holding him close in the warm circle of her arms.
The next day, the missionary went out into the snow to deliver Christmas packages.  As he walked along he heard the cry of a baby.  He followed the sound to a bridge.  Under it, he found a young mother frozen to death, still clutching her crying newborn son.  The missionary tenderly lifted the baby out of her arms.
When that same baby was ten years old, his now adoptive father told him the story of his mother’s death on Christmas Eve.  The young boy cried realizing the sacrifice which had been made for him by his mother.  The next morning, the missionary rose early to find the boy’s bed empty.  Seeing a fresh set of small footprints in the snow outside, he bundled up warmly in a winter coat and followed the trail.  It led him back to the bridge where the young mother had died.
As the missionary approached the bridge, he stopped, stunned.  Kneeling in the snow was his son, naked and shivering uncontrollably.  His clothes lay beside him in a small pile.  Moving closer, he heard the boy say through chattering teeth: ‘Mother – were you this cold for me?’
A mother’s love gave all to save her son.  God in His love gave all to save you and me.  Jesus once said, ‘Greater love has no man than this; than to lay down his life for his friends.’ [John 15:13]  He then did just that for you and me.
How will you respond to such love in the coming year?
Scripture tells us rather plainly what we should do.
I John 4: 11 – ‘Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.’
When making that list of New Year’s resolutions – don’t forget to put high on your list: ‘show love to others.’  Happy New Year and God bless!