"But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart."
Luke 2:19
If there was anyone who knew how fully, wholly human Jesus was...it would have been his mama.
If there was anyone who knew how fully, wholly divine Jesus was...well..it would have been his mama.
From the beautiful pain of childbirth, to the brutal pain of watching him breath his last, she was right there with him.
Don't you wish Mary had written a blog?
Think about it. All the sweet, simple stories we record about our children. The ups and downs. The funny things they say. The anecdotes that add up as we watch them grow into themselves. How fascinating would it have been to have had that relationship with Jesus!?!
I imagine there were times, as the years passed, that she {almost} forgot the miraculous nature of his birth. As the day to day of life took over, and there were mouths to be fed and children to coral, he must have blended in. Fit. Been one of the family. Son, brother. I wonder, did he go through the terrible twos? Was he a cautious toddler, or a daring young boy? As the family grew, and children from the town ran and played together, did he dive in? Was he a leader of the pack or did he hang back as more of an observer? I wonder what she would have written about him?
What were those tween and teen years like? Other than running away from his parents to stay at the temple, we don't know anything about him. What does adolescence look like if you're leading a perfect, spotless life? I imagine him becoming reflective, introspective...studying the law and watching - watching those around him. Taking it all in, wrestling to understand all those around him. Somehow he would have done all this without becoming moody. Or rude. Or disrespectful. How very, very hard this must have been....as he began to see the depth of weakness in all those he loved. I had so many long, late night talks with my son during these years....I wonder how much Jesus let Mary in? Did she hear his prayers? His loud cries? His tears? Did they talk about it all? Don't you wish she had been blogging?
My daughter is 25 and my son is 22. And I'm watching them take steps into adulthood. Education, career, love, marriage...I watch them making life choices. And I think of Jesus, working along side his father during these years. Learning a trade. I watch my son leave for work - up early and home late. Exhausted. And I think of Jesus, laboring for at least a decade along side his father. Not a desk job, or a cushy job with lots of benefits and earning power. Ten years of physical, manual labor. Using his human hands to make, create, build things. THINGS. Things that had no obvious spiritual significance. What did Mary think of all this? She must have loved seeing him work along side her husband. But she knew he was so much more....so why was he silent?
As I read mom blogs. I'm brought back in time, and recall similar moments in my kids' lives. I feel happy for the children who will have this record of their young lives, and such a glimpse into their mothers' hearts. And aren't you glad we have photos and videos that help us remember? Mary's only record of Jesus' life was all that she was able to store in her heart. And though we have a beautiful letter {blog?} about Jesus' ministry years written by his Father...don't you wish we had it all? All the early years, the formative years...as seen through his mama's eyes?
I sure do. Because to me, those thirty years...before that water was turned to wine...those are the miracle years to me. Those years, when his life would have more closely resembled yours and mine...those years when he wasn't being followed, or listened to or impressing anyone...those years when he was "just" a son, a brother, a friend, a co-worker... Through all that time, he was in perfect harmony with God. And his mama got to watch it all.
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at Fresh Mommy Blog