~The angel Gabriel; Luke 1:37
What a journey it must have been for Mary and Joseph to travel to Bethlehem! Too bad they couldn't google the directions, hop on the freeway, and be there in less than two hours. I can't imagine the hardship they must have gone through. Not only the physical hardship, but what about the mental and spiritual anguish of having to make a journey like this. I can only imagine Mary's thoughts at the prospect of having to travel 90 miles while being pregnant...
"What???? How am I supposed to travel to Bethlehem? Do you know how far away that is? What if the baby comes while we're on the road? My mother was supposed to be there to help deliver the baby! I have had such a hard time with this...no one understands the pain that I'm going through. No one understands how I even became pregnant when I'm not even married. They all hate me. Now I have to travel to some town I've never been to? Where will we stay? Where will we put the baby? Where will Joseph work? Will we even survive? I just don't know how this is going to work. God! What is going on? Wait...the angel said that nothing is impossible with God, but it's so hard to believe that right now. I can't see it. Lord, help me."
So many times when God asks us to do something, at first we can say, "Alright God, whatever you say. I trust you." Then we actually have to live it out, and it becomes something entirely different. So many doubts, frustrations, anger, and annoyances plague our thoughts.
It has to be a moment by moment decision to remain in the presence of God and choose to believe that nothing is impossible with God, and to say as Mary replied to the angel, "May it be to me as you have said."
The other day when I was putting up our new Nativity scene I was thinking similar thoughts..the whole scene loses its wonder over the years, but it is rather amazing when you stop and think about it all...the start of a life that truly was upside down by all earthly standards and most certainly by Jewish standards. He was not at all what they had been waiting for. It makes me wonder when we meet him how our worldviews will be blown apart as well.
ReplyDeleteI also was thinking how us protestants do not give Marry enough credit. We gloss over her, but what faith and what a life.
Love your thoughts, and the visual map!
ReplyDeleteI'm Catholic and I giver her tons of credit!! But the Orthodox criticize Catholics for not revering her enough, lol.
ReplyDelete