What Mary Might Have Been Thinking on This Night

My own rendition of what Mary may have been thinking on the night Jesus was born...

"It was just like any other day. I had helped out my mom in the kitchen for hours, preparing food and collecting water. It was hot and my feet had swelled in the sandals that were just a little too tight. There wasn’t anything special about the day. Truthfully, there wasn’t anything special about me. I am young and was just sticking to the ordinary life I was given. Sure, I was engaged to Joseph. That was exciting but I was nervous too. I didn’t know him very well; my dad had arranged the marriage.

But when the angel appeared to me I knew my life would never be the same. He was a majestic creature, covered in feathers and empowered by a shining light all around him. His lips did not move but he spoke in a voice that drove straight in to the deepest part of my spirit. He began to tell me I would bear a son; that son would be great and rule over a kingdom that has no end. What? I didn’t understand.  I was a virgin. I didn’t know anything about being a mom to a normal child, let alone the son of the Most High. My hands began to tremble and in disbelief, I shut my eyes and lowered my head.  I felt as if the weight of the world had just been put on my shoulders. My legs buckled and I fell to my knees. I was terrified. But as the blessed angel spoke to me his heavenly message began to whisper away my fears with four words “Do not be afraid.” 

At that declaration, I raised my head. Who am I? Who am I to be chosen this holy task? Who I am to raise this child that will be the Savior we have long awaited for? Who am I to say “no” to God? As the reality of the situation began to set in, my heart leapt and my body shook with joy. One by one I bent my legs, then straightened them as I stood up. Raising my head and with my arms outstretched high, I had no other response to the angel except, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”

I cannot comprehend the events that have brought me to this place; I cannot grasp all of the ways of God. I can tell you we had to come here to Bethlehem for the census. It figures it would be the exact same time I was expecting this baby. Joseph has been wonderful and led us the whole way on this long journey. When we got here, I was exhausted beyond what words can explain. I didn’t even mind staying here in this barn, this hay filled stable shared with cows and goats. I just wanted to rest. The labor was painful, twisting and tightening the flesh of my womb, as if ripping and tearing out every ounce of strength within me. At the awaited moment the baby was coming, I held Joseph's hand as tight as I could, holding to a confidence that this would be just as it was predicted. With a low and quiet moan, I mustered one final push and slowly the baby arrived.   

My son, who was to be named Jesus, was born! I reached out and pulled him up to my chest… but it was I that was drawn-in to Him.  I wrapped my arms tightly around Him but somehow felt surrounded by His presence. He has 10 fingers, 10 toes and is so tiny just like other babies I have seen before but this is not an ordinary child. He has an undeniable strength, limitless in His existence. There is a seriousness about Him as if He already knows the weight of His birth is more than any scale can measure. I am His mom but I am compelled to follow His lead. Instantly my heart has surrendered to Him. I am in awe and compelled to worship this divine Child. He has captivated my soul and I want to sing along with the unknown voices all around me already praising Him. It is nighttime but it is not dark; with this birth a light has dawned and a new hope is all around us. A lost and broken world can rejoice as we receive this child. A savior has come; His name is Jesus and He is Christ the Lord!"

Following God the “Magi Way”

Expect something.

Matthew 2:

 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem ² and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

Magi were educated. They dedicated their lives to interpreting divine matters for kings and rulers, often times with astrology. They were professionals and experts in their field of work. They had been expectant and ready. They knew exactly what to do when the right moment came along.

Be prepared for road blocks.

³ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him … ⁷ Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.⁸ He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

The Magi were given a voice to people of influence and were esteemed & respected by their position in society. Even Herod, the king of that time, wanted to hear what these magi had to say. However, Herod’s motives were to harm this baby who was a threat to his own kingdom; Herod did not want God to succeed.

Open your heart and worship.

⁹ After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹ On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. 

The magi recognized immediately who this baby was: Jesus, the long awaited Messiah! They opened their hearts to Him and were compelled to worship the Son of God. They were filled with joy as they gave the praise to the only worthy One.

Give God everything you’ve got.

Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 

The magi sacrificed their time and energy to make this long journey by following the star to meet their Savior. With everything that they had, they offered up their gifts fit only for a King. They refused to hold anything back and would have no regrets about their encounter with Jesus.

Leave the old; walk in the new.

¹² And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

The Magi had been with Jesus and their lives would never be the same. Even in the form of a baby, Jesus had transformed them and the magi began a new life. God had spoken to them and warned them to turn from “evil” and directed them how to walk a new route.

Ever have a dream?

A dream God placed on your heart to do: ever have one of those?

Maybe you’re not so sure because you haven’t accomplished “it” yet.

Want to know how you know? The answer was simply put to me in this way: if someone can talk you out of it, then it is NOT a dream God put on your heart. But, if, after everyone you know tries to talk you out of it, reason and logic point it to be crazy, lots of time goes by and you STILL can’t shake it, then… maybe, just maybe it IS a dream from God.

Left brain thinking is logical, critical thinking and reasoning.

Right brain thinking is emotional, intuitive and creative.

Dreams are put on our hearts, not the brain. Quit trying to make sense of it all and just look to the One who gave you the dream. See what He has to say; I bet He has a lot to share.  I don’t think any of it will make sense without Him anyways. So, from one dreamer to another: I am going to go talk to the Lord until He unfolds all of the details of the dream He gave me. I have no doubt that I will enjoy getting to know Him more in the process! What are you going to do?

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Isaiah 55:8-9

An Unexpected Gift Unwrapped

There is a remarkable holiday story going around that was caught on video. Passengers of a red-eye WestJet flight could entertain themselves at the airport by scanning their ticket on a machine and a live imagine of Santa would appear on a screen. He would talk to each person asking them about what they wanted for Christmas. Each traveler, young and old, played along and shared items ranging from socks and underwear to a big screen TV.  What an enjoyable way to pass the time while waiting to board their flight.

The cameras then reveal the behind the scenes activities while the airplane was in flight. A group of WestJet employees in the flight’s destination city had been taking notes as Santa talked with the passengers. Santa’s “helpers” quickly ran out to stores, purchased all of the gifts, and then wrapped and labeled them. Unbeknownst to the passengers of what had happened, after landing they stood by the baggage claim, anxious to gather their belongings and get home. The buzzer sounded to alarm them the conveyor

belt would begin moving… only instead of suitcases being poured out of the doorway it was wrapped gifts. Beautiful packages of all sizes spilled out; with sparkly bows and shiny paper the gifts twirled along the path of the baggage claim. The place erupted. As the passengers began to receive their gifts they were overwhelmed with emotion. Children were jumping up and down squealing with delight. Jaws dropped and adults were shaking their heads in awe of the outpouring of generosity. Women were covering their faces in disbelief of being given a gift they neither earned nor deserved. “Merry Christmas” was all they were told!

In this heart-felt video I was touched but brought back to the real meaning of Christmas. The truest outpouring of the season is a gift. However, it is not from Santa or an airline but from a God who knows exactly what we want, exactly what we long for deep within the most secret places of our souls. This a gift we have neither earned nor deserve but it truly changes us forever. It can make beauty out of ashes. It can feed the most starved heart with love and meaning.  It can make us whole. The gift is Jesus! He came in the humble form of a baby but had authority over all the Earth. He lived without flaw and yet suffered an undeserving demise. Then, He did the impossible through His resurrection and defeated death!

Christmas is the mark of the unexpected gift that was unwrapped for all the world: Jesus.

Prayer: Lord, may we jump up and down and squeal with delight as our hearts receive Your outpouring of love. May our jaws drop as we stand in awe and gratitude of Your generous gift: Jesus, our Savior! Lord, help us also to share this gift with ALL those around us, just as You freely gave to us. For Your glory alone, Amen.

*Story and imagine source: http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2013/12/10/westjet-airline-surprises-passengers-by-fulfilling-their-holiday-wishes-during/

The Birthday Pin for My Adopted Daughter

Cutting yellow paper in the shape of a square, I hot glue it on the front and a safety pin on the back to a piece of purple sparkle fabric. Slowing squeezing the tube of black puffy paint I spell out the words to honor her. It is her birthday. It isn’t the real day she was born; it’s an arbitrary date given to her through the adoption paperwork process. But it is hers now to celebrate.

I set the homemade pin on the counter and engage in the hustle of the morning: packing up library books, zipping up baggies with snacks, wiping up spilled milk. As I pass her a bowl of cereal I suddenly notice the birthday pin already fastened to her jacket. She had found the pin, saw her name and put it on by herself. The anticipated moment to celebrate through this pin was snuffed out.  

Doing everything for herself was what kept her alive in Ethiopia. She was alone; she had no one to help her. She is no longer alone though. God has placed her in a family, in a place where she no longer has to do everything for herself.  A few months ago God cracked open her heart and began to do amazing and miraculous things to allow her to finally say, “I want to be here; I want to be in this family.” Her heart is changed. But her behaviors are still in process of changing… they have not all caught up to her new found attitude.

Yes, we will find other ways throughout the day to celebrate her birthday. This was not the sole opportunity. But it is a reminder that receiving love from “family” is still a foreign concept for my little girl. Although it has been over 3.5+ years, she is still new to the idea of what it really means to be a part of a family. And so, we continue not just a day by day but a moment by moment interactive lesson in how to be in a family. It is not a job or something “to-do” but simply a lifelong invitation from one heart to another.  

Prayer: Lord, please continue to bring us together as a family through a divine love that takes individuals and makes them a family. We recognize our need for You this day. We trust you to do what we cannot do. We thank you for what You have already done and we trust You will be faithful to complete the work You have started in each one of us