Every year, a friend of mine gives me a subscription to Guideposts as a Christmas gift. The magazine is a Christian publication, filled with stories of the presence of God in our day to day lives. It's one of my favorite magazines, and it always seems to show up in my mailbox on days when I could really use a spiritual kick in the pants. After noticing how much more relaxed I felt after reading it, I reach for it when Johnny is pushing my buttons and I feel myself losing my temper. Five minutes locked into the bathroom and a couple of articles later and I emerge a calmer, more peaceful mom. In addition, the magazine always has pieces that really provoke thought, like a recent article on science and faith.
In the latest issue, there is a piece written by the director of the movie, "The Nativity Story," in which she describes the stress of shooting on a tight schedule, working around unruly animals, et cetera. She mentions that some Bible scholars believe that Mary was just thirteen years old when she became pregnant with Jesus. Now, I know that times are vastly different from the years when Jesus walked the earth, but still....thirteen.
I was twenty six when I had Johnny and twenty eight when Maureen was born, and pregnancy and labor were plenty scary for me. I worried about a lot of things. Would my babies be healthy? Would I ever stop throwing up? Would I be able to breastfeed? Would I recognize labor, or would I be one of those women who delivered at the mall? Would I be able to handle the pain? What sort of mother would I be?
The responsibility that comes with having children is enormous and, at times, overwhelming. Imagine how Mary must have felt, carrying the Son of God. Did pregnancy make her sick? Did she ever doubt that she had the strength to do what God asked of her? As she labored inside a stable, did she cry out in pain?
In the rush of shopping and sales, holiday parties and gift lists, the true meaning of Christmas often gets lost in the shuffle. The Guideposts article was timed just right to remind us that the season has nothing to do with trees and gifts and Santa Claus and egg nog, and everything to do with a quiet event that took place in a stable in Bethlehem.
In the latest issue, there is a piece written by the director of the movie, "The Nativity Story," in which she describes the stress of shooting on a tight schedule, working around unruly animals, et cetera. She mentions that some Bible scholars believe that Mary was just thirteen years old when she became pregnant with Jesus. Now, I know that times are vastly different from the years when Jesus walked the earth, but still....thirteen.
I was twenty six when I had Johnny and twenty eight when Maureen was born, and pregnancy and labor were plenty scary for me. I worried about a lot of things. Would my babies be healthy? Would I ever stop throwing up? Would I be able to breastfeed? Would I recognize labor, or would I be one of those women who delivered at the mall? Would I be able to handle the pain? What sort of mother would I be?
The responsibility that comes with having children is enormous and, at times, overwhelming. Imagine how Mary must have felt, carrying the Son of God. Did pregnancy make her sick? Did she ever doubt that she had the strength to do what God asked of her? As she labored inside a stable, did she cry out in pain?
In the rush of shopping and sales, holiday parties and gift lists, the true meaning of Christmas often gets lost in the shuffle. The Guideposts article was timed just right to remind us that the season has nothing to do with trees and gifts and Santa Claus and egg nog, and everything to do with a quiet event that took place in a stable in Bethlehem.
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1 comment:
Lovely, just lovely. Thank you for the thoughts...
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