Mary's Story
I wrote Mary's perspective of the Christmas story five years ago, for a Christmas service our church was having. I dug it out of my closet, edited it a little more, and thought I'd share it with you.
My little boy will be five years old soon. And I still have so many questions. Maybe I always will. I never dreamed it would happen to me. Not here, not now. But it did. And the course of history has changed because of my little baby boy... Jesus.
It all started with a bright light. The brightest I had ever seen. And an angel telling me I had found favor with God and had been chosen to bear his son. Chosen? Out of all the women in the world, God chose me? That was the first of many things that I simply cannot comprehend. What happened next was indescribable. But somehow, my womb became a space for God to grow.
That was only the beginning. How was I going to explain this to my family, to Joseph, to my friends, when I, myself, didn't even understand it. I told my mom first. She thought I had completely lost my mind. I tried to remind her of the age old prophecy that a virgin shall bear a son. But when prophecies become real life, it's a lot harder to accept. Especially when it's your very own daughter.
When I told Joseph, he was so angry, and understandably so. He said he needed time to think and threatened to break off our engagement. I didn't see him for several weeks. Thankfully, God had a talk with him during that time and helped him understand that the child I carried was not a result of my unfaithfulness, but an act of God.
My friends found our soon enough and suddenly they weren't so friendly anymore. I became the talk of the town. Everywhere I went, I heard the whispers and felt the finger pointing. It was the loneliest time of my life. This wasn't how I imagined the coming of the long awaited Messiah.
And then the census. It was the very last thing I wanted to think about. An eighty mile trip with your fiancé sounds like a romantic adventure, right? Well, when you're eight and a half months pregnant and riding a donkey, it's an adventure alright. But romantic isn't really the word I would use to describe it. Never the less, the trip had to be made so we packed up our bags and left.
As we neared Bethlehem, I knew the baby would come that night. Joseph began knocking on door after door trying to find a place for us to rest. We must have tried a dozen inns but all of them were full. The contractions kept coming harder and faster and I longed to get out of the crowded streets. We were beyond desperate!
"Can't you see my wife is about to give birth?" Joseph was getting more frustrated by the minute.
"Fine, take her to the stable if you must. I can't have her in here disturbing my other guests." The innkeeper slammed the door in our face. I began to cry.
"Joseph, I can't have this baby in a STABLE!" But we were out of options.
As the night wore on, I began to realize that this was no ordinary birth. Maybe it was the angels I heard singing in the distance. Maybe it was that brilliant star that illuminated the night sky. Maybe it was that straggly group of shepherds that appeared out of nowhere to welcome my baby boy. But more than anything, it was the love I saw in his eyes. Love strong enough to save a broken world. I've seen many babies before and after him... but none quite like him.
I may never understand everything that happened that night. But one thing I know for sure, miracles happen in the darkest and hardest places. God shows up when we least expect him. And the glory of it all has wrecked me in the very best ways.
My little boy will be five years old soon. And I still have so many questions. Maybe I always will. I never dreamed it would happen to me. Not here, not now. But it did. And the course of history has changed because of my little baby boy... Jesus.
It all started with a bright light. The brightest I had ever seen. And an angel telling me I had found favor with God and had been chosen to bear his son. Chosen? Out of all the women in the world, God chose me? That was the first of many things that I simply cannot comprehend. What happened next was indescribable. But somehow, my womb became a space for God to grow.
That was only the beginning. How was I going to explain this to my family, to Joseph, to my friends, when I, myself, didn't even understand it. I told my mom first. She thought I had completely lost my mind. I tried to remind her of the age old prophecy that a virgin shall bear a son. But when prophecies become real life, it's a lot harder to accept. Especially when it's your very own daughter.
When I told Joseph, he was so angry, and understandably so. He said he needed time to think and threatened to break off our engagement. I didn't see him for several weeks. Thankfully, God had a talk with him during that time and helped him understand that the child I carried was not a result of my unfaithfulness, but an act of God.
My friends found our soon enough and suddenly they weren't so friendly anymore. I became the talk of the town. Everywhere I went, I heard the whispers and felt the finger pointing. It was the loneliest time of my life. This wasn't how I imagined the coming of the long awaited Messiah.
And then the census. It was the very last thing I wanted to think about. An eighty mile trip with your fiancé sounds like a romantic adventure, right? Well, when you're eight and a half months pregnant and riding a donkey, it's an adventure alright. But romantic isn't really the word I would use to describe it. Never the less, the trip had to be made so we packed up our bags and left.
As we neared Bethlehem, I knew the baby would come that night. Joseph began knocking on door after door trying to find a place for us to rest. We must have tried a dozen inns but all of them were full. The contractions kept coming harder and faster and I longed to get out of the crowded streets. We were beyond desperate!
"Can't you see my wife is about to give birth?" Joseph was getting more frustrated by the minute.
"Fine, take her to the stable if you must. I can't have her in here disturbing my other guests." The innkeeper slammed the door in our face. I began to cry.
"Joseph, I can't have this baby in a STABLE!" But we were out of options.
As the night wore on, I began to realize that this was no ordinary birth. Maybe it was the angels I heard singing in the distance. Maybe it was that brilliant star that illuminated the night sky. Maybe it was that straggly group of shepherds that appeared out of nowhere to welcome my baby boy. But more than anything, it was the love I saw in his eyes. Love strong enough to save a broken world. I've seen many babies before and after him... but none quite like him.
I may never understand everything that happened that night. But one thing I know for sure, miracles happen in the darkest and hardest places. God shows up when we least expect him. And the glory of it all has wrecked me in the very best ways.
This is such a wonderful post! God’s blessings to you as you use your talent to bless the heart and soul of others!!! I find it so inspirational to think of ‘biblical accounts’ in terms of ‘real life’…
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