What Mary said.

Now that the holidays are quickly approaching, you know you can't turn on the radio without hearing the most wonderful tunes of all. 

A little "Jingle Bell Rock", "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", "O Holy Night". 

Christmas music.  

I do love Christmas music, 

though I will share with you two songs that I CANNOT STAND:

Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmas Time"

&

"Christmas Wrapping" by the Waitresses

{totally had to look that up because I really had no idea who it was}

 Worst.Christmas.Songs.EVER.

 Well, the other day I was in the car heading over to Lowe's to get paint & singing along to the tunes playing in the car when one song just hit me over the head.  

Did you ever have a moment like that when you hear something or even read something 1000 times & for some reason in that 1001 time, it just strikes you as something you've never heard of or thought about before?

Ok, well this was like that.

The song was "A Baby Changes Everything" by Faith Hill.

I've definitely heard this song countless times at Christmas, but for some reason, hearing it the other day really hit me & I was fighting the tears back.

{only because my dad was in the car with me & I just didn't feel like having to explain why heading to Lowe's was causing such an outpouring of emotion.}

I know I heard this song last year & Eli was 3 months old, but I think I was still too much in that "new baby" fog to really think about this song.
But on this day I started thinking about Mary & the implications of her pregnancy.

The thoughts that must have been running through her head. 

Humbled, honored, confused, scared, joyful, maybe even embarrassed. 

But she had to have known that this baby would be The One. 

This would be the Messiah they had been waiting for & she would've known what the Old Testament prophesied:

Jesus Christ would be hated without reason.

Jesus Christ would be rejected by the Jewish people.

Jesus Christ would be plotted against by Jewish people and the Gentiles together.

Jesus Christ would be betrayed by a friend.

Jesus Christ would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver.

Jesus Christ would be forsaken by His flock.

Jesus Christ the shepherd would be struck.

Jesus Christ would be spat on.

Jesus Christ would be mocked.

Jesus Christ would be beaten.

Jesus Christ would be executed by Crucifixion, having His hands and feet pierced.

 {source}

 If you're a parent, if you're a mom, can you imagine?

Knowing you will be bringing a child into the world to face this.

As parents, it's our job to protect our kids, not lead them into the face of danger. 

But Mary, do you know what she said? 

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” 

{Luke 1:38}

and

“My soul glorifies the Lord 

     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 

 for he has been mindful
    of the humble state of his servant."

{Luke 1:47-48} 

I think my favorite part of this last statement is 

"for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant".   

She completely, 100%, without a shadow of a doubt, trusted His Sovereignty.

She knew she was just a nobody in the grand scheme of things, but trusted Him to do whatever He wanted with her because she loved Him.  

It didn't matter that she would have to go explain to her fiance, that she had not so much as touched, that she was going to be having a baby & she already had a name picked out.

It didn't matter that people would most definitely be pointing & talking behind her back. 

Not to mention she was young! Just a teenager.  

 But then she also knew that:

Jesus Christ's death would atone for the sins of mankind.

Jesus Christ would ascend to the right hand of God.

Jesus Christ would exercise His Priestly Office in Heaven.

{source}

And she would play a part in the greatest part of history ever. 

Until then, she would welcome a tiny baby into the world.

She would hold him, feed him, play with him, kiss his boo-boos, 

encourage him, teach him, scold him, nurture him, protect him, pray with him.

She would be there for every first moment and watch him grow 

until her baby became the man that would change everything.

{you knew i would share this, right??}