#MommyMotivation- Inspiration from the life of Mary, mother of Jesus

Heyyy there! This week is Holy Week, the week observed between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday when Christ was taking His journey to the cross for our salvation.This is such a sacred time to truly remember what Christ did for us, He took on all of our sin and nailed it to the cross with Him and died that we might be saved and have eternal life with Him. I don’t know about you, but I am so grateful for the sacrifice that He made. In observance of Holy Week, I thought this would be a great opportunity to encourage our mamas through the life of the one and only Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mary doesn’t get talked about too much, however, she had such an important and impactful role as a mother. Let’s be inspired by her willingness to trust God with the life of her son. 

Imagine someone coming to you and telling you that your child is great, a child of the Most HIgh, and their purpose here on earth is the sole mission of saving the world and that you would only have a limited time with them. How would you live life with your child knowing this? Would you do anything differently? Would you treat your child any differently? Would you cherish their life a little more? Hmmm, I’m not yet a mother, but I would definitely first of all side eye that person, and secondly I would absolutely view life with my child differently. Well, in a nutshell, that is exactly what happened to Mary as the angel Gabriel visited her. (Luke 1:26-36) What amazes me is Mary’s response, she responded to the angel, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” (v38) She was immediately submitted to the will of the Father for her son and when she received confirmation after visiting her cousin Elizabeth, she praised God for being the chosen vessel to carry the Savior. As Jesus grew up, she continued to submit to God’s will for His life, even in the moments when she did not understand. 

I alway chuckle at the story when Mary and Joseph lost Jesus at the age of 12, well they actually left him at the temple, but they had no idea and didn't where He was. Jesus even in that moment was fulfilling the purpose that God had for Him being in the temple conversing with teachers. (Luke 2:41-52) I mean at least He was in the temple and nowhere else right? And then another story that I find humorous is when they were at the wedding and Mary requested Jesus to turn water into wine, and His response in today’s terms was “Ma, it’s not time for that yet, they not ready.”  I can just imagine Mary looking at Jesus with that stern mother look to say “Boy, if you don’t do this.” (John 2:1-11) Further down His lifeline, we then see the hurt and the pain that Mary endured witnessing her Son being beaten, battered, bruised, and then killed on the cross. (John 19:25-27) Each of these instances show the humanity of Mary as Jesus’ mother, she experienced anxiety, uncertainty, joy, delight, and even grief and sadness. Yes, He is the Savior, even for his mother Mary, but by God’s power and grace she was the chosen one to be His mother. Yet, in all of this she was still submitted to the will of the Father for her Son. She understood that although she carried Jesus, Jesus was never hers. She carried Jesus, to commit Him back to the Father even as she watched Him on the cross. Phew!

How can I relate this to you mama? Well, you are the chosen vessel that carried (is carrying) your child, who is a child of God. There is a purpose and a plan of God specific to that child’s life. Yes, you may have an idea of how you see/want that child to live or be, however, we should never hold on to those ideas so tightly that we don’t allow them to become who God has called them to be. Firstly, it is our responsibility to give our children back to the Lord. Mary did just that and trusted God even when things became uncertain. She didn’t hold Jesus back nor did she try to intervene on the path that God had for Him, instead she encouraged and even pushed Him as we discussed their experience at the wedding. Next, encourage your child to do the things that they enjoy or are good at, many times those are the very things that will lead them directly into our destiny. Last, but certainly not least, Mary treasured every moment with Jesus as she watched Him grow. (Luke 2:19; 50 AMP) She knew that their time would come to an end and so we see a few times where it says “And his mother treasured these things in her heart.” Not only do our babies grow up so fast, but you don’t know God’s complete plan for their life so it is important to value the time that you do have to share with them.   

As you are raising your children and training them up in the way that they should go, which is the straight and narrow path as a follower of Christ, let Mary’s life as a mother to our Savior be an encouragement and inspiration to you. Thank God for choosing you to carry your child(ren) and make it a priority to give them back to Him, trusting Him when things are good, when things are difficult, when things seem uncertain, even when you feel as though you have no idea what you’re doing or how. God will lead you as He has anointed you to lead your child.