Mary's Journal - A Shared Post

My friend Lyla over at A Different Story has been pondering the life of Mary, mother of Jesus, these past several days.  We were chatting last night when she asked me if I thought Mary's journal would be worth reading, and what she would have written.  Mary did a lot of pondering, much treasuring of things in her heart.  So Lyla posted the question on her blog, and I offered a response.  After you read them below, (or before you read, I suppose) please drop by her page and offer your own thoughts.

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My question for you is this: Once the shepherds packed up their dusty gear and tore out through the streets to praise God, what might Mary have written on her page for that day?

Would you share what you imagine Mary may have pondered and treasured in the comment box with us today?

Every difficulty from the past nine months – the probing questions of disbelief, the near-divorce, the disownment by my own family, feeling suddenly lost in this dark world with only my faith to cling to, my own doubts – all these things slipped away as I stared into the eyes of my son for the first time tonight. The miracle of new life is beyond anything I imagined.

Poor Joseph is trying so hard. He struggles with doubt too, worse than mine. How can he possibly believe that I remained faithful, yet now carry the child of Another? He wants so badly to believe, but it has cost him dearly as well. What family wants their son to marry the girl who was unfaithful? Yet I can see it in his eyes tonight as he holds his son, this new hope and joy refreshed.

This child…this little baby…he was born to save the world. To save me. I am not just a mother. I am responsible for raising a King.

How? Father…how? The task overwhelms me.

And then…then these grubby shepherds showed up. He was born, we cleaned him up, and had barely settled down to rest when these young rag-tag smelly boys burst into the barn. But they were so excited we couldn’t send them away. It was hard to hear what they were saying because they kept trying to talk over each other. Something about angels appearing in the sky out in the field where their sheep were. The angels told them Jesus had been born and to come see and worship.

Why them? Why should anyone know? What about this picture would cause anyone to believe anything great has happened? I’m seen as an unfaithful wife, bearing my husband an illegitimate child. We are forced to sleep with the smelly animals. We are nobodies from nowhere.

Yet…if this baby is really who God says he is…why not everyone? Where are the leaders, and where is the king?

These young boys have left an image in my mind I will never forget. Such tender hearts, such poor lives. But they get something that no one else has grasped yet. They know this baby is something great. And that seems to be enough for them.

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To go directly to Lyla's post and read other's comments, or to enter your own, click here.  On Wednesday we'll return to our regularly scheduled looks at Christmas Traditions, specifically - Santa Claus.