As Christmas nears this year I can’t help but think of Mary.
I can’t even imagine being in her position. She was so young, so pregnant, so
far away from home, and with a man she barely knew. She definitely puts my
pregnancy woes in perspective, being due around Christmas has definitely put
this holiday in a new light for me.
Being 8-9 months pregnant can be miserable, your whole body
aches and feels weird because there is definitely another human in there
cramping on the space that used to belong solely to your organs. And sitting,
standing, walking, laying down, it doesn't really matter at some point it will
become incredibly uncomfortable and even unbearable. All of this is true for me
right now, bending over and picking things up can be one of the hardest tasks
of the day, and yet I can’t complain, because I’m not riding a donkey over
rocky terrain miles and miles away from my family. A donkey....seriously that
sounds like the most uncomfortable way to travel right now.
Each night I go home and struggle to fall asleep or find a
comfortable position on my memory foam bed, next to my husband whom I have
known for years, and am completely in love with. Mary spent this part of her
pregnancy sleeping on the hard ground wherever they camped for the night, next
to her betrothed whom she was getting a crash course in getting to know.
I will deliver this baby in a hospital, with up to date
technology, doctors and nurses, pain medication if I want it, and my family
there to calm my nerves and coach me through this. Mary did this in a stable
with animals in the next stall, far away from her family and everything she had
ever known, with only Joseph to comfort her and deliver the baby.
Through all of this the Bible describes Mary as calm and
with a sweet spirit. She must have been fully cloaked in the Holy Spirit to
endure all of this and to endure it with grace. I think there is a lesson to
learn here from Mary. If you truly put all of your faith in God and trust His
will and Spirit, even the most painful, scary, and stressful moments of your
life can be endured in peace and calm.
I pray the peace that passes all understanding, that
engulfed Mary during that first Christmas, surrounds you this Christmas season.
You may not be giving birth to the Messiah, but you have been called, and given
the power of the Spirit to do mighty things for God. Don’t let the stresses and
inconveniences of life deter you from your call.
“And Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit
rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his
servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the
Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for
those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with
his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has
brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has
filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped
his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he
made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.’” – Mary’s
Song, Luke 1:46-55
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