Something about Mary

This blog was inspired by one of my good friends Amanda Pierce and a song that she sang at church last Sunday....I think the name of it was "Labor of Love"....don't quote me on that, I am probably wrong.

It really just got me thinking about Mary.....Jesus' mother. I had my first born this year and I cannot IMAGINE 1. having a baby when I was a teenager....out of wedlock or 2. having a baby in a barn.

I think people sometimes try to glamorize the story of Christ's birth. Even the song Away in a Manger....as beautiful as that song is....its a sloooooow, sooooooft, beautiful song about the night Christ was born.....apparently he didn't cry as a baby (I mean, I know we don't know this, but don't all babies cry...especially when they are first born...it clears the amniotic fluid out of their lungs).
I'm not really sure why we try to glamorize it, maybe to make it more appealing, or just because as humans we all like glamor. I don't know, but what I know is that Christ came to Earth to get messy.  Sin is ugly and    despicable in God's sight. Christ came to save us from our sin, to take on OUR sin, therefore He came to get messy FOR US because of His love.  I don't think it was at ALL like the beautiful picture we like to paint or the beautiful manger scenes we put on our mantles at Christmas to decorate our homes.

So, back to number 1. Having a baby when I was a teenager...out of wedlock.....
I saw something on the news last night about a show that is currently on MTV called "Teen Moms". It is about just what the title states, teenage girls that got pregnant by a high school boyfriend. It showed some of the clips from the show....basically all these girls were doing was struggling. Struggling to raise these babies with jobs that pay minimum wage, struggling to get support from their families and "baby daddy's", struggling to somehow finish high school and take care of their babies at the same time.....I mean can I say ROUGH!! I am married, have a job, have a wonderful family and support system and I will unashamedly admit that becoming a parent is the HARDEST job I have EVER tried to do (even though I LOVE Emory so much). At the end of the segment each one of the teen moms (including Bristol Palin) have started an advocacy group for abstinence....can you blame them? I am really proud that they are trying so hard to get their lives together and care for their babies. I really hope that teenagers will watch that show and decide NOT to have sex before they are married.

Back to Mary.... so there she was...a virgin....betrothed to Joseph...when the angel gives her the message that she is pregnant with a baby boy.....instead of acting like I probably would (what? why? how?), Mary simple states "If it is what the Lord wants."....that's AMAZING!!! She had so much faith!!
She trust God no matter what. It wasn't til later that Joseph had the dream and he believed her.
Flash forward to the LONG journey to Bethlehem....she probably felt 9 1/2 months pregnant if she is like most pregos I know...or anything like me in my last trimester. I don't know if Mary was anything like me, but anyone in my family will tell you that I am a planner...it's a blessing and a curse.  If it had been me I would have been like "Ok....we will go to Bethlehem, get a nice room so I can lay down, get some food, get some good rest in a cozy room" but OH NO....God had other plans (much like He does with me 99.9% of the time).  Instead, Mary has her first born in a dirty barn, no other family (like a mom) to hold her hand, pray for her, or just help her through labor. The smell of animal poop all around, blood from labor on the ground, no where to put her baby but in a food trough on some hay, wrapping him in scraps of cloth. I guarantee it wasn't pretty or glamorous. Praise God that from the beginning He has shown us that He came to get messy....to be involved in our crazy dramas of life...and to show us He is able to do anything!!!   PRAISE THE LORD!    It's Christmas!

Some things I love

These are some random things that I am thinking about this week that I love....

* That almost every ornament on our Christmas tree has a story...it's not a "designer" Christmas tree,  it's not perfect, but I LOVE the ornaments that sort of record our life's story for instance...the minnie and mickey mouse ornament that says "Just Married" that Jonathan and I got on our honeymoon, the North Augusta ornament that we got right before we moved to Tifton (North Augusta, our first home as a married couple), the one with the picture of Toby that reads "I've been good"....Toby..our first baby:), the fishing boat one that I got off of a spray of flowers at my granddaddy's funeral.....I miss him so much!,  the one of Santa riding on top of a crab that we got in Hilton Head this year when I was pregnant and we both ate our weight in crab meat....the laziest vacation we ever had, the one from NYC last year when we went with Jonathan's parents....we saw the Rockettes, Wicked, ate at Carmines, went to Times Square, the Statue of Liberty...all while freezing our booties off.....by the way...that trip almost didn't happen due to a "perfectly timed" snow storm...please catch the sarcasm here... that delayed our flights for almost two days. I especially love the latest edition to our Christmas tree...Baby's first Christmas ornament for our little Emory Faye..... yes, every ornament has a story.... a story that reminds us of God's healing, of God's goodness and mercy upon us, a story that shouts of how the Lord is able to take broken, sinful lives, and mend them together with His grace. Every time I look at my Christmas tree I can't help but thank God for His love. It is a constant reminder to me that Jesus did come so that we could indeed have a more abundant life. It is also a constant reminder for  me to put away selfishness and follow God wholeheartedly.

* I love watching Emory grow and discover something new every day. I am so honored to be her mother. She has started to roll over this week...PRECIOUS!! I love watching her reach for toys or my cell phone. I love how intently she studies everything. I LOVE all of her baby noises!!! I guess I just never imagined that I would experience this much Joy in my lifetime her on Earth. Family is truly a little piece of Heaven. Thank you Lord for every day that I get to spend with them.

*I am hopelessly in love with my husband.....Oh my goodness.....how in the world did I get so so blessed? He is WONDERFUL! There are just too many ways to count how wonderful He is. He shows me every single day a way that God loves me. He is so patient with me, so gentle, so loving, so very serving. I am so blessed to have such a handsome and amazing "other half"

*Our community group.....another way that I am blessed beyond words....Each week I look forward to the laughter that we share. I look forward to hearing about how their weeks have been and how we can lift one another up or minister to others.  They are an awesome group! I am looking forward to the next time we meet....they are the bomb!!!

*My Mama......where do I strart? It's my mom. My mom and I have DEFINITELY had our ups and downs...by no means do we have a perfect relationship, but over the past year I have just come to appreciate her so much. There is no doubt in my mind that she LOVES her children and grandchildren...so much that she is super sensitive about it...if she has a passion in life....family is it. She will drop anything and every thing to help one of us, she is always willing to answer the phone...no matter what time of the night it is. I just love my mama....there is no one like her

more things I love to come.......gotta run go take care of my sweet girl!