December 8:
B.C. verse: Luke 1: 26-28
A.D. verse: Hebrews 10:35
Christmas Hymn: “Breath of Heaven (Mary’s Song)” by Amy Grant
Hymn for today: “Have Thine Own Way” and “I Will Follow” by Christ
Tomlin
As I read today’s Bible verse, I find myself trying to get inside Mary’s
head. She was a teenager who was engaged to be married. Even though I won’t be
able to find out until I am in heaven to ask her, I wonder what Mary thought
about that. Was she quiet, compliant, and resolved about the issue? Was she
excited? Was she dreading it?
More than likely, she was non-committal about the whole issue.
Undoubtedly, an older male in her family had arranged the marriage for her, so
she was just biding her time until it was time for her to change mailing
addresses. Even so, I have been teaching teenaged girls for 21 years, and I
have one of my own; there is no way I am buying that Mary was meek, mild, and
calm. Since the name, Mary, means “rebellion” and “bitter,” I think I might be
right.
Most of the teenaged girls that I know/have known are all about
relationships (friends, boys, etc) and almost all struggle with feeling
insecure on some level. They spend their teenage years figuring who they are
and how they want to be perceived. If you have a teenage girl, you are well
aware of the fact that the road to that end is at times extremely rocky. It is
often filled with emotional booby-traps and irrational logic.
Now, do I think that Mary was spazzing out by kicking cooking pots and
punching holes in walls? Not so much. She
must have had an underlying maturity – at least, spiritually – or there’s no
way she would have ever made the cut to be the earthly mother of Christ. But I
am guessing that she probably was opinionated and defiant; her name suggests as
much.
I am also guessing that her feistiness made God smile. He needed
someone with a little fire in her belly to be able to deal with the stares,
whispering, and disapproval that would inevitably ensue once the public found
out that this “virgin” was pregnant. A shrinking violet would get squashed in
the rumor mill. God needed and saw a beautiful rose; her thorns were an asset
instead of a liability.
Thus, when Gabriel says to Mary, “Hail, favored one, the Lord is with
you,” he isn’t kidding (Luke 1:28). “Favored one” also translates to meaning “one
receiving special grace.” Mary was about to embark on a difficult physical,
social, emotional, and spiritual journey; she definitely needed special grace.
Likewise, when he says, “The Lord is with you,” there is a double meaning. Not
only is the Lord God physically with Mary in her womb; He is also with her for
the long haul.
It certainly wasn’t the traditional engagement that Mary had been
anticipating, but for some odd reason, I don’t think that Mary was as
traumatized as we might think. In my mind’s eye, I see her giving me an impish
wink that says, “Go big or go home.” Even in her youth, Mary seemed to have
realized that end would justify the means; it’s a good lesson to us all. “There,
do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward” (Hebrews 10:35).
Daily Challenge: Let someone go
in line in front of you today.
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