Mothers
My spirit rejoices in God my Savior. Luke 1:47 NIV
Let’s not forget the mother of our Savior. When Jesus was just a child, it was His earthly mother and father who were in charge of his care. Once, at age twelve, Jesus went missing during a journey to Jerusalem. Mom and Dad got worried and went about searching all over for Him. They finally found Him in the Temple where He told them He was tending to His Father’s work. Joseph and Mary ordered the young man to come home with them, and like a faithful son, he willingly went along and was subject to them.
Mary pondered Jesus' words for some time to come. Like a mother, Mary knew Jesus was special. But Mary knew Jesus was special in a way unlike any mother could know. Mary knew she would have to give him up. He had a greater purpose to fulfill and it would not be hers to control or determine. He would soon be a man and she had to let him go into the world to fulfill his mission. She would have to bear such a cost, even to the point of watching him die.
We know that God had been preparing Mary for her own loving sacrifice from the time that the angel visited her with the news of her conception. When still pregnant with the Christ Child, Mary sang these words: “my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” (Luke 1:47 NIV) Mary knew she was a sinner who needed a Savior. And she knew that she had one–the Child in her own womb. She pondered her Son’s purpose and calling so deeply in her heart, that the Holy Spirit within sang forth a song of faith and praise.
Even in the letting go of a child, God can still work a great miracle. Faith lays hold of a power greater than death itself: God promises that the resurrection will return Mary’s Son to her and to the whole world. God is teaching all mothers, and all believers, to ponder these things in our hearts and to let go of the temporary things, so we can lay hold of the eternal.
Father, keep our loved ones in Your everlasting arms. Amen.