Who Was Mary?

Mary. What words come to your mind when you think of Mary, the mother of Jesus? My kids had their Sunday School program this morning so I took an informal poll at church. These are the words I heard: Christmas, Jesus, holy, Mom, nice, kind, faithful, virgin, gentle and positive (with many of these repeated). I stopped the little girl who played Mary in the program and asked her what word comes to mind when she hears the name Mary. She said, caring, because she’s always taking care of her kids and husband. Bless. Her. Sweet. Heart. Mary means so many different things to so many people. So let’s chat about this mom of all mom’s. The mother of Jesus Christ. Who was Mary? Worthy. Mary was worthy. She was young, poor and a very average woman. Unremarkable. But God chose her anyway to carry out one of the most important tasks ever given to a human being, to be the mother of the Messiah. To raise the Son of God. She was not the daughter of a king or a high priest. She was Mary. She could be you or she could be me. Mary proves that no one is excluded from being “used” by God. Are you worthy? Has God chosen you? I’m writing about Mary today because God nudged me to. Believe me, I fought it. I pushed the urge away for several days. It felt too big and too deep for me to write about. But I couldn’t shake it. So here I am. Pounding M&M’s and furiously turning the pages of my bible and writing at my kitchen table. I’m no Max Lucado or Lysa TerKeurst or any other famous Christian author. I’m a young (ish) average woman tasked with writing to my friends about Mary. What has God chosen you to do today? Are you worthy to do it? Yes, yes you are. Who was Mary? Chosen. Mary was chosen by God. This does not mean she was an instant celebrity and her Instagram following tripled overnight. Maybe the opposite. She was carrying Jesus in her womb but was also faced with many, many obstacles. First, the disbelief of her husband Joseph. Without the intervention of an angel telling him it was okay to marry her, he planned to break their engagement because of her alleged unfaithfulness. Second, she had to watch her firstborn live a life of pain and rejection and sorrow. He did so many wonderful things for so many people, yet had to endure disbelief. And finally, she had to watch Jesus go through the cruelest death. Unimaginable. Unfair. Knowing without a doubt it was God’s plan for her son, but it did not lessen the pain she felt watching her son on the cross. Are you chosen? Your life may not be easy. You may feel pain that is unmistakable. Maybe it does not feel like you are chosen. But guess what? Despite your pain or suffering, you are here. You are reading this. You are being led by God. You are chosen, and you will grow in your faith through your journey. Pray through it. Ask God how you can be used. Who was Mary? Trusting. Mary was trusting. Imagine you are checking your tweets in your recliner one night and hear a voice. It is an angel of the Lord telling you that you will conceive a baby out of wedlock. Would your response be, “May everything you said about me come true.”? Ummm...guessing not (especially for my male readers). Mary trusted. She asked how it would happen (because she was - in fact - a virgin so that’s a legit question). Otherwise, she said, let’s do this! And accepted the challenge of raising The One who would change the course of existence. It may be a stretch to say an angel will come to you with news of your impending conception, but let’s think of examples slightly more realistic. Do you trust the Lord? Have you felt gentle nudges to do something and trusted those feelings? Have you prayed over those feelings? God wants to use you, He has big plans for your life. Can you trust Him to lead you to fulfill His purpose for you? Who was Mary? Faithful. Mary was faithful. She was given her task, to carry the son of God. She faithfully took the job. Imagine the nativity scene. Mary had just given birth in the side of a cave; dirty, unsanitary, less than ideal conditions for this mighty King. She wrapped Him in cloths and put him in a manger (feeding trough). She did not have a Norwex EnviroCloth to clean the manger, she did not have Dreft detergent to wash the cloths she wrapped her newborn son in. It may not have felt glamourous at the time, but Mary did not care. She knew who this baby was and what it meant. Slowly, visitors trickled in. Shepherds and wise men, confirming what Mary already knew, that this little baby lying in the manger was the Messiah. Sent to us from heaven to save us. She was filled with faith. How is your faith today? With Christmas quickly approaching, it is the easiest and hardest time to be filled with faith. On one hand, you can think of Mary and the birth of Jesus - a game changer. One sweet child changed everything. On the other hand, maybe you are a mother like Mary or a father, or a daughter or son, and Christmas is filled with Jesus and hope and....gifts and gatherings and lists and stress and stress and stress. Let’s change that today. Let’s refocus today. Without Christ, there is no Christmas. Enjoy your gifts and gatherings, but above all things, let your faith rule the holidays. It is because of that sweet baby, that you are living the life you have. Be Mary this season… Imagine what God did through this one woman. And what that has done for us. Be Mary. Be Worthy. Chosen. Trusting. Faithful. Be the change people need today. Be the hope people need today. Make this holiday season about love and joy and promise. Live the life Jesus created for you. Mary Christmas :-) Until Next Time, Neko