The Standard December 13, 2025
On December 2 my husband and I became grandparents, something for which we had been hoping. Each of us has heard story after story of how grandchildren will change life dramatically, and for the better. We are thrilled about this new adventure, but it is difficult to imagine that our lives will be altered more than those of our son and his wife.
For us who have been fortunate enough to become parents, nothing could have prepared us for the almost constant need for attention of an infant. When we had our first child, one Huntsville Hospital nurse told us her philosophy of never waking a sleeping baby, unless it was a preemie. I loved her from that moment on. We kept Benjamin in my room during the day, and someone brought him to me from the nursery each time he woke up at night. Apparently, the prevailing practice now is to wake the infant every three hours for feeding and for the newborn to stay in the room with the mother at all times.
Caring for a baby puts many parents on somewhat of an even playing field. It does not matter how many degrees we have or how terrific our careers are, infants need to be fed, diapers need to be changed and at least one person is going to have interrupted sleep for weeks, if not months. A lot of single mothers face these tasks alone.
Infancy is usually just the beginning of a deep intertwining with our children. Even when they become adults, their biggest concerns tend to be our concerns as well. It is accurate to say that having a baby rocks our world for life.
As much as that is true, God coming down to earth in the form of a human baby continues to shake up the whole world. Immanuel, God with us, should change everything. Not only are we perfectly loved, but we can be forgiven and transformed. God in the Person of Jesus lowered himself so that we could be lifted up. He wasn’t born in a comfortable, sterile setting. He didn’t live a life filled with worldly advantages. Jesus became one of us, and empathizes with whatever we are facing. This all adds up to the best baby news ever.
“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” Luke 2:4-7
celiastone 