Would I?

The holiday season completely brings on a new meaning once you have children.  This year is my 5th Christmas as a mother and boy are we having some fun.  Art, our elf from Santa, is definitely keeping us all on our toes and on our best behavior and we are having a great time making other Christmas memories as a family...making holiday decorations and treats, driving around to see the lights, watching holiday movies, and the list goes on. 

But amidst all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, I can't help but wonder what it was like to be Mary.  Throughout my life, I have often wondered this and have greatly respected her giving birth to the King.  Would have responded in the manner Mary did when she learned she would be the mother of the world's Savior?  I can confidently say no.  A co-worker of mine, who just became a mother herself,  has also had this on her heart and she shared about this this morning at our weekly FCA meeting.  It is crazy to think that Mary was only 13, the age of many of our students, at the time of Jesus' birth and I think this really hit home with many of our kids.  I know that I for sure definitely don't have the obedience of Mary at the age of 31, let alone the age of 13.  I can't imagine having the knowledge of knowing one of my children was going to die, but she did, and lived a full life of glorifying God and being unselfish all the while--something I definitely struggle with. But I am so thankful she did.  I pray that we all remember the sacrifice not only Jesus made for all of us, but also the sacrifice of this earthly mother and the heartache she ultimately endured for us.