"Mary Did You Know?"
Words
So this God following teenager finds herself listening to a messenger from God. Short story--she's gonna be pregnant as a virgin. HMM--luckily, she has a very understanding fiance who also gets a message from God. So from the beginning she knew something would be different and special about her baby, but come on--He would cast out demons, give sight, give hearing, give mobility, give life, teach, pray, be praised, be laughed at and be killed? And come back to life? Did she know? I doubt it. She could not have imagined the infinite greatness contained inside her little baby boy. But she trusted and she believed.
Children are fantastically unique individuals. Each one a gift. Each one beautiful and wonderful. Each one needing to be discovered and nurtured for who he or she is. And yet, even as we do our best as parents, we have no guarantees. At some point, like Mary, all we can do is trust and believe. Trust in our love for our children and believe in their uniqueness.
This song makes me think of the parents I have met through my job. I know a lot of parents who have one or more children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder or a Developmental Disability. Some of these parents tell me how hard it was when they began to see their child not develop like his/her sibling or neighbor. The parents felt something was wrong, but didn't want to believe it. They talk about the grief they went through when they realized their child was different from others. How they had to give up on the dreams they had for their children. How they had to change their expectations. But they never gave up. They keep doing what they can to help their child become the most he/she can be.
This Christmas I hope I can slow down and enjoy my children. I don't know what the future holds. I don't know what they will succeed at or be challenged with in this world. Yet I can trust and believe just like Mary.
The stories of Mary and her fiance can be found in the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke.
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