Isaiah 9:6 NIV – For to us a child is born, to us a son …
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Reminiscing about when our first son was born I smiled. I was alone in the hospital room, my husband went home for the night. I was just an ordinary mom pondering her recent life changing event. A human being! Would he grow up to be the Dr.who cures cancer? Would he be the geologist who unearths hidden truths about our past? Would he be the preacher who ushers in the next revival before Jesus comes? I knew looking at him that day that whatever God chose for him to be, I would love and support him with all my being.
My whole world, and my entire focus on life changed that day. A somewhat self-centered young woman I happily laid that all down to be certain that this new life had what he needed to thrive! Oh there were times when we reverted back to our pre-parent thoughts. Like when we got ready to go out, left the house, and left him inside! In our defense, he was a quiet baby, and we only got out to the car before we remembered our precious miracle and ran back in for him! Other times we would make a plan to go somewhere and find out on our arrival that it was not baby friendly, and we left.
Oh, so many things to thing through that you did not have to thing of before baby. Where can I safely store these cleaning products that I always kept under the sink. Will we ever have a quiet dinner and conversation again? Where can we go on a vacation with a baby in a stroller? How will we pay for his ER visit? Will I ever get enough sleep again?
Well Mary pondered too! We don’t get any inside track about what she would have pondered, but we can guess. Did she think about Simeon who was completely happy and ready to die after he held the baby Jesus, knowing he was the Messiah? Or was she curious about the astrologers who came in all their regalia and brought odd gifts for a baby? Did she ponder the fact that the Holy Spirit was the father of this child? And since the Holy Spirit is God, what really would this boy be like to raise? How could we raise him to be all He needs to be when we are mere humans?
I heard something from a preacher once that has stuck with me. He said, if you just think about something in your mind and heart, the enemy cannot use it as ammunition against you. However, if you speak it out, even innocently, he can use that thought against you. I believe it’s true. I believe Mary thought so too! She held her thoughts to herself, probably asking questions of the Holy Spirit, and I am sure He answered her as the welfare of His own son was at stake. In this way if her words were not spoken out, they could not be used by the enemy…he certainly knew who the baby Jesus was!
Joseph did the same thing. He knew this baby was someone special and listened when angels came to him with information and direction. He was Mary’s husband and protector, and God’s body guard on earth!
The very popular song that we hear often this time of year asks a question we cannot answer; ‘Mary did you know?’ Did she know He would grow into the scholar, healer and Divine deliverer? We won’t ever know on this side of Heaven, but we can ponder it! Ponder…the act of thinking about something carefully. Tis the season to ‘ponder’ this baby that was foretold over 700 years before he was born. The baby that knew and could teach scripture at the age of 12. The baby that turned water into wine, healed sickness, raised dead people and ultimately went to a cruel cross to die…for us! Ponder, but don’t stop there, make the decision in your heart that this is no ordinary baby…this baby IS God and we must worship Him!
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