A Manger Filled With Love

I have half done projects waiting for me to finish and the hours are ticking away until Christmas morning, but I wanted to write out this post before the Christmas season is over.
I am still in the young women program and on Sunday we sang a beautiful song in Sacrament meeting. It's called "A Manger Filled With Love". Music has always touched my soul, and I have rarely been able to watch those beautiful young women in my ward sing without crying my eyes out. This song was no exception. We practiced for over a month before Sunday, and I never made it past the first verse without crying. I begged to be excused from singing it in Church, but in the end, I stood up there front and center and cried my eyes out for the whole ward to see. So, the point of this post...I wanted to bear my testimony of Jesus Christ this Christmas season.
First, the song...

The shadows fell o'er Bethlehem, and o'er the waiting world,

And darkness gathered 'round the shepherds biding in the fields.

When in a moment song and splendor rent the skies above,

And the night was filled with wonders and a manger was filled with love.

Ah, that I had seen the Shepherds come to seek the Lamb,

And looked with them on Jesus' face and touched the infant hands,

And felt with them the Father's peace descending from above,

When their hears were filled with wonder at a manger filled with love.

I need not see the Holy Child to know him for my King,

I need not hear the voice of heaven's host re-echoing,

For I have heard the Spirit's witness whispered from above,

And my heart is filled with wonder at a manger filled with love.

A voice as pu6re as angel song has spoken from above,

And my heart is filled with wonder at a manger filled with love.

I can't even type the words without crying. You can see why I was doomed from the start.
So, why am I telling you all this?
I have written before that I prayed to know Sam's spiritual gift. The gift that he was born with and able to share with us here on this earth. I believe that Sam was born to testify of Christ and to bring souls unto Christ. When I hear this song (and even when I type) I am reminded of his sweet unspoken testimony. This song speaks to my soul because it's like it is bearing my testimony for me. I need not see the Holy Child to know him for my King. For I have heard the Spirit's witness whispered from above. I held a sweet baby in my arms who testified of the love of Christ. A voice as pure as angel song has spoken from above, and my heart is filled with love. I have felt the Father's peace descending from above. How can I deny it? How can I not share this with others?
I was embarrassed that the whole ward witnessed an emotional me. I worried that they would all think I was crying because I had an empty manger or something like that. I worry so much that people will think that I'm not doing "fine" because they see me with the tears. But now I have decided that I am proud of the tears. I am going to own the emotion. Sam changed me. Even though I wasn't crying because my baby died, I was crying because my baby came and bore witness of our older brother Jesus Christ. I had a testimony of Christ before. I was thankful for the atonement and thankful that he made it possible for us to return to Heaven. But now my heart is so full with love for Him, so full with love for Mary, and our Heavenly Father.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16)
I feel like I owe it to Sam to bear testimony of Christ. So, there it is. I know that the baby born in the manger, all those years ago, grew to be a man. He grew to be a man who would take all of our sins, and pain upon Him. He was a true servant to our Father in Heaven, and he made it possible to return to Him. He knows my heart. I am thankful for Him.