Two Christmases ago I had the added blessing of being pregnant over the Christmas holiday. What a thoughtful state it put me in during that time of year. Not only did I reflect as usual on the story of the birth of Jesus but I say it was an added blessing because it gave me a unique perspective, the perspective of a mother with-child. I always reflect a lot on Mary’s story during Christmas– not just the part about Jesus but the part about being a woman and being called; having greatness inside of you. What a humble servant she was. What a humble but verybrave servant.
Her song goes like this:
My soul magnifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me–
holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.
Mary’s story is about a promise. Can you imagine what that was like? All you mamas out there– doesn’t the very idea captivate you?! There she is just living her small unassuming life, mindful of all of the Jewish customs and what her small role in all that might be. Up until this point all those promises about a Messiah, given so long ago, seemed to be unreachable– great promises, but probably for another generation, at another time. What could they possibly mean for her? Here she is, just a humble, good little Jewish girl. Then an angel comes to her and lays the news on her. All of the sudden, not only is the promise going to be for this generation, it is going to begin in her! She will literally carry the Savior of the world to term and then nurture Him (no pressure in that or anything). Can you imagine the questions? The doubts? And we think we know what it is to struggle with a calling on our lives!
I know what it was like to carry my two sons in my belly for 9 months each. It was miraculous in itself. To feel that little human moving around inside. To wonder if the midwife got it right when she said it would be a boy. To lay awake because the baby in my belly decided 3 am was a good time for a dance party. To reach that last trimester feeling the weight (both physically and emotionally) of the birth that was going to happen, one way or another…
Not very different than the journey we take with our calling in life. We all carry a promise in our lives. God has called each of us to serve a purpose. We will wrestle with it. We will lose sleep over it. We will question what it will look like in the end. There will be moments of great anticipation and moments of doubt and fear about what God will do through us. We will wonder if He really made us capable of this. Then, we must make the decision to carry it out– to go the whole way, committed to our purpose. When something is started in you, there’s no getting away from it. There will probably be discomfort, there will probably be birthing pains, and there will eventually be a birth and what leads up to that is never easy or pretty– but it is what you were created to do so God knows you can handle it. And, it is so worth it!
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