{"Mary, Did You Know?" performed by Pentatonix}
This is not my favorite Christmas song.
It just never appealed to me. It's dark, it's really dramatic, and it talks a lot about the grown up Jesus at a time of year that I just want to think happy thoughts about the adorable baby Jesus in the manger.
But this year, it means something different to me.
Instead of the dark song I heard in the past, I hear a couple powerful reminders that have made me stop and reflect throughout the Advent season.
The first is of the amazing potential each child has. Mary knew she was going to give birth to the son of God, but did she really understand all that he would do? Could she have ever fathomed that we would still worship him and follow his teachings more than two thousand years after she gave birth to him? I find myself wondering what my own son, due in April, might accomplish with his life. The possibilities are endless. Trevor and I have no way of knowing what he might grow up to be, but we hope we can support our son, no matter what he chooses to do with his life.
The second reminder is of Mary's incredible sacrifice. I'm learning with each aching joint, each stretching pain in my growing belly that pregnancy is no easy thing. It hurts! And I'm not even close to giving birth yet. Mary went through all this because God asked. Did she understand what those those nine months would entail? Does any woman really understand what she is getting into before she's pregnant? Going through a pregnancy I was more than ready for, a pregnancy I very much wanted, has not been easy for me. I cannot imagine what it would be like to go through this not because I wanted to, but because God wanted me to. Was it easier for Mary because she knew she was doing God's will, or was it a struggle because she hadn't asked for a child yet?
Christmas is very different for me this year, and I'm so glad I've had these chances to stop and pause throughout the past month to reflect on what that first Christmas might have really meant for Mary --and for what it truly means for us as followers of Christ.
Instead of the dark song I heard in the past, I hear a couple powerful reminders that have made me stop and reflect throughout the Advent season.
The first is of the amazing potential each child has. Mary knew she was going to give birth to the son of God, but did she really understand all that he would do? Could she have ever fathomed that we would still worship him and follow his teachings more than two thousand years after she gave birth to him? I find myself wondering what my own son, due in April, might accomplish with his life. The possibilities are endless. Trevor and I have no way of knowing what he might grow up to be, but we hope we can support our son, no matter what he chooses to do with his life.
The second reminder is of Mary's incredible sacrifice. I'm learning with each aching joint, each stretching pain in my growing belly that pregnancy is no easy thing. It hurts! And I'm not even close to giving birth yet. Mary went through all this because God asked. Did she understand what those those nine months would entail? Does any woman really understand what she is getting into before she's pregnant? Going through a pregnancy I was more than ready for, a pregnancy I very much wanted, has not been easy for me. I cannot imagine what it would be like to go through this not because I wanted to, but because God wanted me to. Was it easier for Mary because she knew she was doing God's will, or was it a struggle because she hadn't asked for a child yet?
Christmas is very different for me this year, and I'm so glad I've had these chances to stop and pause throughout the past month to reflect on what that first Christmas might have really meant for Mary --and for what it truly means for us as followers of Christ.
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