If you have ever had a day home with young children, you know the challenges that arise.
Fussiness.
Clutter.
Screams ringing in your ears and unpleasant smells assaulting your nostrils.
Even the most positive among us might call it a bad day by nightfall.
Maybe Mary was having a bad day. If you’ve ever been home with a busy toddler, you know you can’t get a thing done until nap time. (And that’s assuming you stay awake yourself!)
I wonder how Mary’s walk with God was. By this point, have she and Joseph settled into a routine, doing life together? Did the miracle of her pregnancy fade into the demands of daily life?
Maybe, life felt somehow, ordinary.
Mary was doing her calling. Although it may have felt mundane and even ordinary, she was where God wanted her. He knew her heart’s desire was to serve her God by serving her family.
Unbeknownst to her, there were wealthy wise men making their way to worship her boy. While she was washing clothes and cooking meals for her family, God was sending these men to her, guiding them with the godly GPS of a golden star.
He also knew her thoughts. Her insecurities. Her wondering mind. Her unfounded shame. Her lonely sadness of not being recognized by people as she was by God.
He was and is a just and loving Father. He was and is an adoring Daddy. He was and is a Father of His word.
“On coming to the house, they saw the child and his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” Matthew 2:11 (NIV)
Let’s look at some of what God did that day with the wise men’s arrival:
- It most likely financed the family’s flight to Egypt.
- It offered eye-witness accounts to be taken to foreign lands whose inhabitants had yet to learn of Jesus.
- And, I imagine, it was another confirmation to a weary Mary, that yes, God had given her a miraculous baby and He was indeed the Son of God.
- Also, God saw her. He knew her heart. He knew her thoughts. Not only would He provide for her and her family financially, He would provide spiritual encouragement and confirmation to her.
- He reminded her that He was performing the extraordinary in the midst of her ordinary.
The wise men’s visit probably encouraged Mary greatly. She was reminded that she was a daughter of God, and she was dearly loved indeed.
Maybe you, like me can relate a little to Mary’s feelings of being misunderstood. Maybe like Mary, you too wish to serve as God has called you, in the midst of daily life. Maybe like Mary, you sometimes miss how God has performed the extraordinary in the midst of your ordinary.
That’s okay! Because He is willing to show us, encourage us, and propel us toward our calling: Drawing closer to Him as we navigate life.
Let’s not allow ourselves to feel forgotten, or become content with a stale faith. Let’s keep our conversation with God going, and do our part to draw even closer to Him.
Prayer: Dear Father in Heaven, Thank You, You love us more than we can imagine. When You call us to do the seemingly impossible, You provide whatever we need; be it physical, emotional, or spiritual. Thank You that You never let go and that You fulfill Your promise that You will never leave nor forsake us. Draw us each closer to You as we lean into You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.