Christmas ~ My Testimony of Jesus Christ, the Son of God

As I was contemplating my Christmas post, I was broadsided by a health affliction that left me in painful dark places reaching up for help.  One night, I wrestled almost the entire night with my feelings and thoughts until the Lord and I came to an agreement it was time to write my testimony for the future generations of my family.

It started with parents that had been taught of Christ.

My children have never known our home without Christ, but that doesn't mean that they didn't have to develop their own testimony. That is what one does.  You can't go on other's testimonies for all your life, at one point; you must develop your own. Over time my testimony of Christ and his divine mission has grown until it is just like breathing for me. It is me.
I will begin with what took a time for me to understand as my testimony was developing. I wondered, "How did God feel when he observed the atonement of Christ in Gethsemane?"  Then I wondered about how He felt when he withdrew himself from Christ while His son was facing the last hours during the Crucifixion.  I am not a Prophet or biblical scholar, just a child of God and a mother, so I am sure my perspective must come from there.  I felt as I was wrestling that night, that what God felt was gratitude.  Not pride in his Son, but gratitude for Christ facing his personal challenge and bearing it without being coerced and a pressured into those actions. Christ did his Father's will because it was his desire to do so and because he loved us. Christ embraced his Father, us, and the plan of Happiness in his actions, which testified to me that his actions were, in truth, a sacrifice.

"Christ in Gethsemane" by Heinrich Hofmann - Brigham Young University Museum of Art.1.

"Christ at the Cross - Cristo en la Cruz" by Carl Heinrich Bloch 2.

It all began on a night in Bethlehem when Christ came to this earth to be born to Mary in a lowly stable. Such a lovely tale, and I have crèches that I have collected to commemorate that event.  

God did not abandon Christ when he came to earth. He sent angels to guide and protect this family of Joseph, Mary, and Christ from the beginning. God is always with us. 
The babe in the manger that was Christ the Savior has been my friend and has always been the person for me to go to since I was little.  I remember seeking places to sit and talk with Jesus (another of Christ's names) when I was as young as 5 years old. If there were problems I didn't know how to deal with, I knew He was always there and listening. The comfort, the unfailing care, and the guidance I have received over the years, has never left me found wanting and always His footsteps has been a chosen path to follow.
I not only believe in Christ, I know He is there.  He cares for me, and He takes my up lifted hands and guides me.  He lives.  He is The Savior.  He is my all.

This is my Christmas testimony which I will save in 

Memories on FamilySearch for when my blog is long gone. 

~Frances Ellsworth

1.  Licensed under Public Domain via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christ_in_Gethsemane.jpg#/media/
File:Christ_in_Gethsemane.jpg

2.  Licensed under Public Domain via Commons - 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christ_at_the_Cross_-_Cristo_en_la_Cruz.jpg#/media/File:Christ_at_the_Cross_-_Cristo_en_la_Cruz.jpg