(First off, will everyone join me in saying thank you to Stephen and Tom for getting my website back up? Stephen helped identify the problem and Tom took that information and contacted the right people to get it corrected. Thanks guys, you both are wonderful!)
Last night after Dave went to bed, I stayed up thinking about things that still need to be done before Christmas. Still so much to do, not necessities, but things I want to do.
There’s baking for friends and family. Our youngest grandson is expecting cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning and I’m wanting to make goodie plates for friends. Still have two days of work so everything will have to wait until Tuesday.
Then I thought about Mary? What was she thinking, how much did she still have left to do those last few days before Jesus was born?
I’m sure Mary was a list maker. When the angels announced His birth and the shepherds tended to His manger the Scripture tells us that Mary pondered all these things in her heart.
“After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. ” Luke 2:17-19 NLT
There were so many memorable events in Mary’s pregnancy, I know she must have had a plan for those days leading up to His birth. She knew her son would be no usual child. For before His conception, she knew He would be special, she knew she would give birth to the long awaited Messiah.
“Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” Luke 1:30-33 NLT
Her first child, the Messiah, was about to be born but first she was going on a 100 mile trip. She had to pack, food needed to be prepared, laundry needed to be done. How long were they going to be gone? She needed “stuff” in case the baby was born before she got back home. No Mom or midwife to help! Can you imagine the evening conversations with Joseph as they stopped on their trek?
“Can you do this?”, she might have asked. “I’m going to need your help; I won’t have anyone else to assist me. We don’t know anyone in Bethlehem. What if the local Walmart is closed? Where will we get diapers and onesies?”
Yes, Mary was the mother of the Messiah, but she was also a teenager, first-time mother, and away from home.
Our preparations over the next week fail in comparison to hers. Our loving heavenly Father who sustained her and took care of every detail also has our days planned. He will sustain, protect and provide.
“Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.” Proverbs 16:3 NLT
Don’t let the concerns of life steal your peace!