This morning I sat in church with two out of three girls. Normally child care is provided but it wasn't for this particular service. I thought I'd brave it anyway. I could tell the music was great but I was too busy keeping the baby happy. The preaching started and I caught bits and pieces of it in between hushing the baby, shoveling snacks down her throat as fast as I could, and making the other kid JUST BE STILL. I could feel the frustration level rising. And I thought, "I can't even listen to ONE service without having to fight with kids!"
There must have been enough lull in the activity for me to catch some of the preaching. Of course, it was out of Luke. Appropriate for the time of the year at Christmas. A good portion of the service was on Mary. Who was she? What was she called to? How did she feel about it? Then that still small voice spoke to my heart. Mary's calling was to be a mother.
Mary was an unwed teenage virgin from an insignificant family in an insignificant town. There was no way to make light of her pregnancy. She said yes to God and gave up her life. In her peers eyes she was an adulteress worthy of death.
She became the mother of Jesus. Because of that, few supported her. Few appreciated her. Many devalued her. But it didn't matter because she was called by God.
Mary had no idea what she was facing. Being a mother is challenge enough. Being a mother to God? Read the rest of the story and you know that she didn't have it easy.
She said yes to being a mother. That was her greatest calling. It was very significant.
I may not be the mother of God but, I think, any mother faces challenges. I know that it's very common for a mother to feel under appreciated and under valued. But being a mother is never insignificant.
Here's the link to the message about Mary.
http://crossroads.podhoster.com/index.php?pid=21205
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