The Holy Among the Messy

Today Brendon came home with a beautiful framed print of the painting above as an anniversary and baby gift. The first time I ever saw this painting I was overwhelmed by the holy scene. I first heard of this painting from my mother while on my mission. She spoke about it at my grandmother's funeral and taught how the painting shows the holy among the messy. Some of the messiest parts of life are the beginning and end. Our lives are filled with the mundane, the seemingly unimportant tasks that we do day-in and day-out. Deciphering our lives is a challenging undertaking. This is especially challenging during life-changing events such as birth and death. It is possible to see the meaning between the distractions, no matter how messy they are. Just as Kirshisnik demonstrated in his painting, we too, need to find the holy among the messes of our lives.

The connections between birth and the Atonement are strong. Each begins with pain and with suffering; both are a sacrifice of the body. A woman puts her life at risk to have a child. Christ literally gave His life to save the world. But, both finish with life—a life for one: a new baby, and life for all: the Resurrection. From Mary’s face, we see she is pleased and at peace with what has happened; she sacrificed to bring Christ into the world just as Christ will sacrifice to bring life and peace into the world.

My time is close to bringing a new life into this world. I've already experienced the holy among the messy as my body and thoughts have adjusted to what she needs to grow and be ready to start her life. I hope to guide her through the messy towards the holy just as she has with me these past 9 months.