Pause

Advent mysteries — a child conceived by the Holy Spirit. A teenager called to bear Him. The lowliest of births.

God’s ways will never be ours. Sit in stillness and hold the marvel of it all close.

Ponder

“My soul magnifies the Lord,     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me,     and holy is his name.”

At seventeen years old, a young Iraqi woman named Rand was seen in public chatting with a British soldier. When her father heard, he waited for her to come home and then killed her. Though arrested, he was released two hours later, congratulated for restoring his family’s honor.

Although honor killings are generally forbidden by law, they still take place thousands of times a year in cultures that place a higher value on family and community than on the individual. When a woman is perceived as acting immorally, it casts shame on the entire family and clan.

This is the kind of culture the teenage Mary would have been part of in Nazareth, a small conservative village of about four hundred inhabitants. Yet when an angel appeared to announce God’s call, Mary’s response was nothing short of miraculous.

Deeply troubled at first, she answered at last with the Magnificat — one of the most glorious psalms of worship ever written. Her heart was tender toward the God of her childhood.

But tenderness would not be enough to sustain her for the days to come. Can you imagine how Mary felt as she stood before her father, claiming a pregnancy conceived by God? Even Joseph’s plan to marry her could not have erased the rage and shame and sadness that must have filled the home. Mary’s baptism by fire had begun.

Months of rejection and scorn followed. Then came a journey, great with child, roughly eighty miles on a donkey through the desert, only to encounter crowds of weary pilgrims competing for lodging. Finally, she gave birth in a grotto that sheltered sheep. Mary was mired in a crucible of God’s own making, toughening her for an even deeper heartache to come.

As the years passed, Mary became strong, confident, even a bit headstrong as she raised her family. She traveled with Jesus as He began His ministry, nudging Him as any good Jewish mother might. Then one day, Jesus seemed to distance Himself, saying that whoever did His Father’s will was His mother and brothers and sisters.

We don’t hear of Mary again until Jesus hung from the cross of Calvary. While most of His disciples had fled in fear, the woman whose womb carried Him watched as He took His final breath. Did the roar of the mocking crowd bring back the ridicule she had faced so long ago? When the soldiers gambled for His ragged robe, did she see herself in that stable, swaddling her infant against the chill of night? When water and blood poured from the spear wound in her Son’s side, did she remember Simeon’s prophecy that a sword would pierce her own soul? How could she imagine recovering from such grief?

And yet, somehow she did — at least in part. The book of Acts tells us that Mary was there after Christ’s ascension, praying with the others in the upper room. Only eternity will reveal the full role she played in the early church and in the spreading of the gospel throughout the land and beyond.

This Christmas, let us take time to honor this woman who pondered things in her heart and pressed through her pain out of love for her Lord. Let us remember how her trials shaped her and the strength she gleaned from the sacrifices she made. And let us give thanks; for in a very real way, we are all in that woman’s debt.

Pray

Consider the words with which Mary began her spiritual venture: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

Think of what it cost her to say those words — and what she must have experienced when the Holy Spirit fell at Pentecost. Radical obedience always bears deep, eternal fruit.

Where might you need to say these words again in your own life?
Talk honestly with the Lord about one area where obedience feels costly. Invite Him to meet you there.

Practice

Write Mary’s words of submission on a card and carry it with you throughout the day: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

Whisper it as your own prayer whenever you feel anxious, resistant, or unsure. If you sense it would bless someone else, share it with them as well.

A tender heart, strengthened through trial, becomes a powerful testimony of love.