Mary did you know…when you kiss your little baby, you kissed
the face of God?
Mary was visited by an angel and told that she would be the
mother to the Savior. She was going to
bear a son-a son that would live a perfect life and then die on the cross. She held her savior in her arms. She rocked him to sleep and fed him when he
was hungry. I can only imagine what Mary
must have felt. Mary knew her son was
God, but I don’t think she knew all that that would entail-the endless joy and
grief that would bring.
“When (the shepherds)
had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told the about this
child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to
them. But Mary treasured up all these
things and pondered them in her heart.”
Mary didn’t have a camera to capture Jesus’ first days, steps, or
smiles, but I’m sure she remembered them all.
I see babies born everyday at work, and every experience is
different. But one thing is the same-the
look of wonder and joy on a new parent’s face when they look at their
baby. I went in to check on a patient
the other day and found her just looking at her daughter like she was the only
thing in the world that mattered.
Imagine Mary in that situation.
She was holding her first son, and she was holding God. She was
literally looking at the only thing in the world that mattered.
There’s a song that I like called Be Born in Me sung by
Francesca Battistilli. In it there’s the
line “I’ll hold you in the beginning,
you will hold me in the end.” When Jesus
was born Mary held him and comforted him.
When Mary died she went home to be with her Savior and I’m sure he held
her as she had once held him. I can’t
imagine the joy Mary felt when her son was born. I can’t imagine the grief she felt when he
was killed.
Mary had been told by an angel that this was what she had
been called by God to do. She must have
felt fear and experienced ridicule (because who on earth would have believed
her.) She must have felt joy and awe,
wonder and confusion. But despite all of
this she accepted God’s will, no matter how hard. “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have
said.” It’s hard to wait on God’s
timing. Sometimes it’s hard to do what
he is calling us to, or to do what we know he wants. But in the end, it’s all worth it.
