"And this will be a sign for you: You will find a baby
wrapped in cloths, and lying in a manger." Luke 2:12This is my 32nd celebration of the Christmas season but my first Christmas as a mama. Part of me has tried to nostalgically put myself in Mary's shoes, err, sandals, but the analogy is terribly imbalanced. I can swaddle pretty good, and we both have baby boys… but for starters, she didn't even know it was Christmas. She didn't need another stocking or a "My First Christmas" bib. No tinsel or holiday shopping for her! If Mary was really 13 or 14 like the scholars speculate, then I'd be old enough to be Jesus' grandmother! Ah, maybe I should reflect instead on cousin Elizabeth.
These days, babies come with lots of instructions and lots of options. Too many options, I've decided. Keep your baby warm but don't let him over-heat. Avoid loose strings; play with dangling toys. Never lay your baby down on his tummy but spend lots of time on his tummy or he'll be underdeveloped. Lock up your cleaners. Throw your cleaners away. Sterilize your house and protect him from allergens. Expose him to germs so he builds his immune system. Rub his feet to stimulate eating. Never touch his feet because it gives babies tummy aches. Listen to classical music and watch educational videos to develop his brain. Avoid television because it zaps creativity and free-thinking. Talk to him all the time if you want him to be smart. Only use proper English. Babble through the alphabet so he'll learn the sounds of letters. Feed him whenever he wants so he'll feel secure. Only feed him on a schedule so that he'll learn to eat based on his metabolism, rather than his emotions. Change his diaper the moment it gets dirty. Don't fill up the earth's landfills with dirty diapers. Worry about SIDS. Worry about autism and ADD. Choose the right pre-school and pediatrician. Start saving for his college tuition.
What did Mary have to worry about? Swaddle baby. Teach him the Torah. Raise the Lord God in the flesh. Take care of the Messiah, the promised hero. Mother the one human every single person in your entire country is awaiting with bated breath. Even if she didn't buy the name-brand organic baby food, she had the assurance that He was destined for greatness. Even if He didn't walk "early," she had every reason to trust that He would still save the world, somehow. Baby Jesus could even chew on toys made in China.
("Isaac," I say sometimes. "When you grow up, you don't have to be *great,* but you have to be kind." He just kicks and flails and grins his toothless grin. He has no idea what I'm saying but he likes to be said to, nonetheless.)
No, I can't really compare myself to Mary. Maybe she made up songs and smelled like spit-up, too. But before taking on the world's greatest responsibility, she proved herself to be a young woman of golden character and faithfulness. God could trust her with His son, His plan, His heart. God could ask her to obey and know she'd say yes. Ah… *there* is the comparison I ought to measure against. Whether it's your third Christmas or 76th, you, too, have a standard to consider.
Merry Christmas!
I… entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the
calling with which you have been called. Ephesians 4:1
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