“Here was a teenage girl, not married, who was carrying the promise of God, the hope of the world, and that was a baby,” the woman said. “Imagine all of the emotions she must have been going through as that child grew within her.”

Melissa backed up to the couch and sat, eyes glued to the screen, listening intently. She knew the Christmas story, that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and there was no room in the inn and he slept in a manger, a cattle trough. She pictured it like the quaint Christmas cards with the star shining in the sky and the cattle and sheep and wise men gathered. But as she listened to the two on TV, she realized she’d never considered it a story that made an impact on her until now. She put a hand on her stomach.

“This is the mystery of the ages,” the man said. “That God would care so much about us that He would send His only Son, God in the flesh, Immanuel—which means ‘God with us.’ And Mary couldn’t understand everything that was going on. Like you say, she was a teenager and she had to live with all of the hormonal changes that happen inside a woman’s body during pregnancy. I’m sure she had questions and she wondered about the future. But above all, she trusted that God was at work and that He had prepared her in those nine months to give birth to the Savior.”

“I love the verse a little later in the Gospel of Luke where he writes, ‘Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.’ Other translations say she ‘treasured’ them. That says so much about what was happening in her mind before and after she gave birth.”

As Melissa watched, it felt like the man and woman were talking directly to her. And something came over her, a peace that spread through her and calmed her. She wasn’t sure what it was or why it happened, but it was there all the same.

When the program ended, she stretched out and fell asleep.

Three days before Christmas, a pain awakened Melissa and she opened her eyes and took a deep breath. Brian’s side of the bed was empty and she remembered he had to get to work early. He had been given more responsibility and was opening up the shop that day. Nobody at Brian’s work knew about the baby and the thought comforted her.