Motherhood ~~ you cannot say that word without exhaling into a ‘sigh.’
Those of us who have adult children can look at this caption and relive the tender moments and the emotions that were ever so present. The sounds and smells that were so alive then, come to life now as our memory takes us there. And while it may have been during a very challenging time in our life, mama, we will volunteer to have it all over again. I get it. I so get it, Girlfriend.
When I read the Scripture passage above, my heart absolutely melts at what mother Mary must have been experiencing at that precious time in her life ~~ watching her son ~~ thinking on what the Angel Gabriel had declared over her life ~~ wondering what it all was going to ‘look like’ and how it was ‘going to unfold’ at the end of it all.
She kept all of these things in her heart …..
How many times I have done this very thing ~~ soaked in the moment ~~ wrapped my spirit around it ~~ and wondered what God was going to do with all this ~~ how He was going to purpose this child and his character.
Mary kept her mama moments tucked in her heart. She savoured them just like you and I do and have. I’m sure she prayed over them and asked God to give her strength for when the time would come for Him to use her child. And like most believing women, she likely prayed for the people with whom her child would come in contact. Mary probably prayed just as you and I do, asking God to protect her little one and to keep him safe. She probably prayed that the people he would meet would treat him kindly.
Yes, I’m certain that mother Mary had all the feelings and emotions that you and I have for our children.
She thought of them often …..
It’s possible that when she saw him playing with other children she wanted to make sure they wouldn’t bully him or tease him or give him a bad time. I’m sure she wanted to make sure he was treated fairly and not physically harmed. And I’m almost certain that she had to ‘referee’ the interactions between he and his siblings.
I’ll even go so far as to say that Mary wondered ‘when’ Jesus would step onto the scene as Messiah ~~ and what that all would look like. Of course, we can read the account of her recorded life as Jesus was rejected by those whom He came to save. And we can only speculate how she lived after Jesus ascended into Heaven. But I’m almost sure that her anguish and sorrow were every bit the same as any mother would feel and grieve.
There aren’t volumes written on the details of Mary’s personal life. But what we do know is that she was a willing servant. She risked it all ~~ the ridicule and criticism and public scorn ~~ to be a servant of the Most High God. And that servitude included being a mama.
Mary was called and she answered.
All of those sleepless nights, those worrisome days ~~ they allow for us to do some of our greatest mothering on our knees. When we don’t know what will come next ~~ but we know and TRUST the God Who has called us to His Purpose. It is said that a person’s true character comes forward in ‘unexpected moments.’
Of course, there are those moments that we would stand up and holler: “I need a do-over!” We wipe the sweat off our brow and concede to the fact that we are not allowed that opportunity. But as women of God we do have the privilege of prayer ~~ and real prayer causes us to be open to God’s Will and not demand our own. So we trust ~~ with every ounce of energy in us, and we continue onward on our Journey of motherhood.
If you’re a mama with small children, take heart ~~ you have been called to do the most extraordinary service on the planet. While it’s likely the most complicated and emotionally draining, it is also the most rewarding. Be sure to tuck those rare and priceless moments into your heart, and recall them often. And if you find yourself on your knees a lot, you’re in good company!
I encourage you, mama, wherever you are at this moment ~~ lean onto the God of all Creation. He knows you and knows your child(ren). He knows the Plans and how it will all unfold. If He requires that you let go of your child (for now) it is so that you can take hold of the hem of His garment. Grab your nearest Girlfriend and embrace her ~~ she is there waiting for you.
I love you to Heaven and Back, Girlfriend ~~
LindaRJohnson
T2T Visionary
Titus Two 