A New Respect For Mary
By: Kate Kuo
Crosswalk.com
Women

Jesus' mother, Mary is a person respected by many. To some, she is a saint worthy of our prayers. To others, she is someone to emulate and revere. But to me, this December, she is an amazing example of stamina and courage.

I am expecting my first child on December 26, 2000, and while I am extremely excited to bear this child and feel very blessed, I can't help complaining at times. I do love to feel the baby kick, although my body is often tired and sore, so at times the kicking really hurts. At 39 weeks, there just isn't much room for my active baby to move, but that doesn't seem to stop it (no, I don't know the sex)! Riding in a car -- driving, in particular -- has becomme extremely uncomfortable as it forces my belly into a smaller position, squishing the baby into my bladder and ribs. A bumpy car ride tends to increase my prayer life; with every bump I ask the Lord to help me hold my bladder while I repeatedly do my Kegels.

But how can I complain when tradition tells us Mary rode a donkey? Have you ever ridden a donkey? I haven't, but I have ridden a horse both saddled and bareback. Saddles provide some degree of comfort compared to the bony back of the animal, but the ride will still be a bumpy one. And if the ground is a little lumpy, then the ride involves a lot of bouncing and many jolts. My guess is that Mary rode that donkey bareback as she and Joseph weren't exactly known for their wealth. But even if she didn't have to deal with the donkey's bony back directly, she did have to deal with the bumps. In Mary's day they didn't even know about Kegel exercises. I just don't know how she did it.

We've considered her mode of transportation, but what about the distance? Today, doctors and the airlines (who don't want the responsibility of delivering your baby in the air) generally won't let you travel after you are more than six months pregnant. While this is mostly to ensure that the mother can make it to the hospital in time to have her baby, it also has her comfort in mind. Mary could have been nine months pregnant when she and Joseph set upon their journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. This was not a simple one-hour journey, it was at least three days! Can you imagine? Very few of us (dare I say any?) will need three days to reach our families this Christmas and if we do, we'll be traveling in style compared to Mary. Her journey was dusty, dirty, and devoid of rest stops with running water or fast food restaurants where she could revive herself. Again, I ask myself, how did she do it?

I know women of that period were much hardier than we are today (let's face it, they had to do everything by hand and from scratch) but even so, she was nine months pregnant. I have a friend who is also nine months pregnant and she's still doing aerobics, but she can take naps during the day or sit and read something to relax. Mary could not during this important three-day journey.

Lately, sleep has been a mixed blessing. While my body greatly needs the rest, sleeping creates other pains that I don't experience during the day. Primarily, my hips ache because my baby has dropped so they are bearing more weight than usual. What about Mary? Did she sleep on a nice firm mattress? Somehow, I don't think so. She either slept on the ground or on something that wasn't much more comfortable. Ladies, I ask you, can YOU imagine sleeping on the ground now, even if you aren't pregnant?

What about the fact that she was carrying Jesus, God's own Son? Being pregnant for the first time generates both thoughts of wonder and of fear: wonder at the life that is growing within, fear at the responsibility that it will bring. Giving birth to any new life is a tremendous responsibility, but giving birth to the One that would save the world? To me, it's like being given the job of baby-sitting for the president instead of the neighbor's kid. On top of worrying about being a good mother in the traditional sense, Mary must have wondered how she'd please God in the process. And while all of us who call Jesus Lord desire to please the Lord in all we do, we can't begin to say we understand how Mary felt about what she'd been asked to do.

Then there's the thought of actually delivering the baby. While I am very ready to be done being pregnant, I'm not so sure I'm ready for the labor part required to end the pregnancy! After all, it is going to hurt and the recovery may be a little rough. But thank the Lord, I will give birth in a hospital surrounded by medical staff who have helped hundreds of women before me. Mary? It is commonly thought that she gave birth in either a barn or a cave that was being used as a barn. Sanitary conditions? Knowledgeable staff to help? Epidurals? It is a wonder that both she and Jesus lived.

But then, is it? Or did their survival have something to do with the sovereignty of God? How, may I ask you, had they arrived in Bethlehem not only in time for the census but also in time for Mary to give birth? Although doctors assign a due date, they have no real idea as to when a child will be born. My baby dropped weeks ago and my cervix began dilating but they still don't know when this baby will arrive. Only God could have worked out the timing so very perfectly. What about the fact that Joseph stood by Mary after learning she was pregnant and knowing he was not the father? Matthew 1:19-21 tells us that an angel of the Lord told him to do so and he obeyed. Again, only God could have provided a husband for Mary during a time when she could have been stoned for her condition.

Although I am often uncomfortable and afraid of the coming labor and responsibility, I can take comfort in Mary's example. No, we don't know her thoughts beyond her reaction to the news that she'd bear Jesus (see Luke 1:26-38, 45-55), but we can guess that she wasn't the type who complained. Would God Almighty have chosen a whiner to bear His Son? Plus, God doesn't hide the flaws of his servants from those of us who read His Word; instead He uses them to teach us. Therefore, it is my assumption that though Mary may have at times been fearful, she seldom complained. In fact, I think her thoughts tended to the side of thankfulness and trusting in her Lord God. If her response to the angel's news was immediate belief, why would she later doubt the Lord's provision as the birth drew near? And yet, she was human so she must have had moments of doubts, fear and perhaps even unhappiness (even Mary could not have been immune to the terrible emotional swings that pregnancy causes). So when we think of Mary and ponder who she was and how we are to react to her today, let us not forget that she was a young woman who, like us, bore her first child. But unlike us, she did so under very primitive conditions with the utmost grace.

We can learn from Mary the person, but there is even more that we can learn from our Lord God's provision for her and Jesus. Our God gave that very special baby so that all children might have eternal life. It is enough to bring tears to my eyes as I imagine what it must have been like for God to know that the fragile child that He'd created, His Own Son, would one day die on the cross for the imperfect and rebellious people of the world.

So when doubts and fears enter into your soul, remember this, the God of the universe -- who gave His one and only Son that whosoever should believe in Him would have eternal life -- will never leave you nor forsake you. And this Christmas, if you don' t know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, won't you accept Him now? He is the one and only way to heaven for He alone bore the penalty of your sins once and for all times. It's a free gift to all, but you must accept it and receive it to benefit. May the Lord bless you and keep you this Christmas season.