December 31, 2022
Mary Did Know, Do You?
I read a post today that said “Mary may have known, but her mother did not.”
That hit me. We sing the song “Mary Did You Know” which I love, but always mentally I remind myself that the Bible tells us “Mary pondered these things in her heart” regarding the Angel’s visit, the visits of the shepherds, magi, the Angel’s message for them to flee, even the time when they lost Jesus in the temple. She was constantly pondering. Considering, probably praying, “God, direct me.” She knew what responsibility God had given her.
But her mother? Mary was favored by God. Her mother must have brought her up in the wisdom and admonition of the Lord. The whole post was about this – Mary did know, her mother did not.
Don’t we all know? I mean, not that every one of us carries Jesus or looks as the Creator of the World in our arms and ponders it in our hearts… but each of us who are mothers have carried at least one little child – don’t they all belong to God?
I remember looking at my firstborn: tiny, beautiful face and long eyelashes, strong little fingers with a tremendous grip, perfect tiny toes, I drank in every little detail of her sweet, fragile body. We prayed over her because we knew she belonged to God. Even her name was a promise from us; Christina Elizabeth means “Believer in Christ, Servant of God,” it was our promise that we would do our best with the few years God gave her to us.
Each little one afterward I’ve felt the same utter joy and overwhelming responsibility. They are God’s kids, not mine. I get the honor of mothering them and we get to raise them; pointing them in the right direction. Our prayer is that they take on the responsibility for their relationship themselves and continue to grow in grace and love.
Mary did know what honor God had given her. Mary’s mother knew only that she was raising a daughter of Israel, a girl who would become a woman. I imagine that all mothers whispered in their hearts to their daughters before Christ’s birth, “live true, child, it may be you through whom the God of our Fathers chooses to bring the Saviour of the World.” I imagine that Mary’s mother’s mother whispered the same thing to her. They lived in the wonder of hope and faith. They believed in the future reality and each prayed she would be the girl given the honor; each woman didn’t know if their daughter may be the one chosen by God, but they chose to raise their daughters to be wives and mothers to honor God.
They heard or read as we still do, “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord; and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” ~Psalm 127:3 Children are a blessing, a reward, a gift God gives us to give back to Him.
No, we do not know what plans God has for our children, but we can pray for their path and lead them to an understanding of God’s love. We are all entrusted with raising our children for a time, but they all truly belong to God.
Thank you, Jesus, for the honor of motherhood!
Thank you for reading!
Type at you later!
~Nancy Tart