In Her Sandals

There are some days you just want to crawl right back into bed, but that really isn’t an option nor a wise choice for me today. It’s already been an exhausting day, and it’s not even noon yet. As a matter of fact, my day started when men burst into my home and yanked me out of my bed not even allowing me to get completely dressed. I was shocked like anyone would be and then fear set in. These men were going to have me killed. I began begging and pleading with them, but no one was listening. I tried to explain about the man in my bed, but no one wanted to hear what I had to say. They just left him in my bed which is why going back to bed would not be a wise choice for me today.

I’ve never claimed to be a good girl. I’m a girl who gets by. I’ve made more than a few bad decision several times in my life, this morning being one of them, or maybe I should say last night was a bad decision.

I quickly realize these men aren’t interested in anything I might have to say. My fate is sealed. I know enough to know that they are going to kill me, have me stoned, and it’s not even noon yet. Have I said that already!? Not that I have thought about how I would die, but if I did, this certainly would be the way nor the reason.

They take me to the Temple where there’s a teacher speaking to an audience. I’m having to walk quickly and trip over the cobblestone. I’m breathing heavily and my hair falls into my face. These men who have me by the arms just barge in and throw me into the middle of the teacher and his class and tell me to stand there. They then begin telling this teacher what they caught me doing. I am humiliated. I’m barely dressed and now they are exposing everything. I have no dignity left. They ask this teacher what to do with me. They say there’s Moses’s Law that says I should be stoned. This man they are pressing for an answer is obviously a wise man. He kneels as if he’s thinking about his words, and they keep badgering him. I try to cover what I can, but there really isn’t much use. This man is near my feet and he’s drawing on the ground. Finally, he rises. I brace myself for what is to come, for what I deserve.

Last Post on Lessons Learned from Mary

On the eighth day, Jesus was circumcised. He had to fulfill the law from conception forward. When Joseph and Mary took Jesus to the temple for the dedication and Purification offering, they encountered two people, Simeon and Anna. Simeon prophesied over Jesus noting that some will rise and fall and that Gentiles will be enlightened. He blessed Mary and Joseph, and then looking at Mary said, a sword will pierce your own soul too. Knowing that Mary was a thinker, a contemplator, you know that she dwelled on his words for some time. God may not have told her everything before she became pregnant, but He did give her bits and pieces along the way to prepare her as best He could. Sometimes, though, we don’t understand or see all the ways He has prepared us until we look back on the journey because while Mary wasn’t pierced with the sword as Jesus was, as His momma, you know she had to have felt it too as she watched it happen. She also probably relived it in her nightmares.

Hearing Simeon’s words had to bring the momma bear out in Mary. How overwhelming it must have felt at times knowing she was responsible for raising the Son of God, protecting Him from those who wanted to harm him. Yes, she knew that God was protecting Jesus as well, but there is this fierce, internal instinct mommas have for their babies. They will fight to the death to protect them.

Then there was Anna. She must have been a relief to Mary. The sheer joy and delight in Anna’s face had to have been comforting. Anna doesn’t take the baby in her arms like Simeon did, but rather, she brings people to Jesus who need redemption. How many people have you brought to Jesus who need redemption?  I wrote on Anna’s sandals prior to Mary’s.

Joseph and Mary return to Bethlehem and move into a little house and start a life as a married couple. It’s only now that Joseph and Mary consummate their marriage. Excitement, nervousness – do you remember the first time you made love to your spouse? All those emotions and feelings wrapped together in an act of love designed by God. Joseph and Mary have already had to overcome so much, and waiting to be together made it that much sweeter. You know that Mary had to recount every little thing that Joseph had done for her and because of her and how he chose to follow God and lead Mary. Sweetness.

Life for Mary and Joseph get into a routine. I love routine. There’s comfort in it. You know what to expect. But routine doesn’t last forever. One night when Jesus is almost two years old, Magi show up on Joseph and Mary’s doorstep bringing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. These Magi were Gentiles, educated Gentiles who with all their learning and knowledge realized that salvation could come in the form of a baby.  Sometimes truth is as simple as that.

I don’t know how far back in Mary’s memory she had stored Simeon’s prophesy about her baby, but when the Magi arrive presenting gold (the gift for a king), frankincense (the gift for deity), and myrrh (the oil for death), I wonder if Simeon’s words came rushing back to her. Mary’s son was born with a death sentence hanging over his head, but Jesus would not stay in the tomb. You can’t put God in a box and you can’t put Jesus in a tomb and expect them to stay there. Hallelujah!

After the Magi leave and Joseph and Mary go to bed, Joseph has another dream. An angel of the Lord tells Joseph to get Mary and the baby and get out of there immediately.  Joseph wakes Mary, and they have to throw some things together quickly and flee Bethlehem. Have you ever thought about what you would grab if your house was on fire or if a tornado was coming in your direction? What would you grab? It’s so quick. You know Mary grabbed the gold, frankincense and myrrh. She grabbed Jesus’s clothes and probably a few of his favorite toys. But they wouldn’t be able to take everything. It’s just stuff anyway. They run and keep running until God tells them to stop.

At some point in time, Joseph and Mary hear what Herod did to those poor babies. I wonder if Mary thought she had escaped Simeon’s prophesy. I imagine she must have been heartbroken for those mommas and babies, and she may have felt guilt. She didn’t have time to tell them good-bye or ask them to come with Joseph and Mary. As women we sometimes take on more guilt and blame than is ours to claim.

I’m glad I took the time to study Mary. My heart feels for her. Being the mother of a young boy, I see him do things, and I wonder what he’ll be when he grows up. I see him spending time with his daddy learning how to hunt and fish and camp, and I know that Jesus learned from Joseph about carpentry. I love watching my husband show our son how to do a certain skill. He wraps his hands around our son’s and moves his body in the motion needed to complete the task. They repeat this scene until our son gets it and can do it on his own. How did Mary look at Jesus and Joseph? How do you raise children after Jesus and not compare them to the Son of God? Mary was up for it. She was chosen for it.

What has God chosen you to be? Are you following your husband’s leadership? Are you meditating on God’s Word? Slipping on Mary’s shoes leads you to putting your arms around Jesus, kissing his face, and following where God leads. Will you wear Mary’s shoes?

In Her Sandals -- Lessons Learned from Mary

Elizabeth is in her last trimester, and Mary is in her first. Elizabeth has kept to herself mostly, and we don’t know if Mary has told anyone about her pregnancy either. Elizabeth confirms what the angel told Mary. That had to be so reassuring to this young, teen, unwed mom-to-be. Mary would have helped Elizabeth the three months she was there. We don’t know if she was there for John’s birth, but some speculate she was in order to help with the delivery. 

When Mary returns home, she is through with her first trimester. The morning sickness may have subsided. Considering her age, people may not have known she was pregnant until the seventh or eighth month. I know if I were in her sandals, I’d be concerned during that time about how things were going to play out. That’s at least five months of considering every possible outcome. Nothing was within her control. We saw in her conversation with the angel that Mary is a thinker. Like most women, she thinks about what was spoken to her, about her or her baby, and about the things going on around her. So, it only stands to reason that she thought about the repercussions of this unexpected pregnancy.

At some point her pregnancy is discovered by her family. Mary’s family is never mentioned. No conversations with her mom and dad are recorded, but I think about what that conversation would have been like if I had to have it with my parents. I wonder what my response would be to my daughter telling me this story. Someone is delegated to tell Joseph the news, or the news spreads to Joseph. Word got around even back then. There’s a reason God chose Joseph to be Jesus’ earthly father. He was of noble character and faith.

In contrast to Mary who actually sees an angel, Joseph is led by an angel in a series of dreams over the next several years. Joseph listens and obeys. He submits his doubt and concern to the Lord, and follows the instructions provided. The relief that Mary must have felt had to have been great. He immediately takes Mary from her father’s home to make her his wife, and they begin their travel to Bethlehem. They really haven’t spent any time with each other up to this point, so this trip provided them plenty of opportunity to get to know one another. Don’t you know Mary had to be so relieved when Joseph told her about his dream!? Surely they compared notes about what they had been told. I wonder if they dreamed dreams for Jesus.

We don’t know if Mary walked to Bethlehem, rode a donkey or a cart. The Bible doesn’t say. Check it out. But by the time she would have made it to Bethlehem, she had to have been exhausted. Then Mary and Joseph had to go door-to-door looking for a place to stay. Think of a woman, late in pregnancy, hormones coursing through her body having traveled 90 miles or so, and now there’s no place to prop up her swollen ankles and feet or rest her back. Do you think you might have a woman on the edge of collapse? If she isn’t crying, she is on the verge.

Finally they are led to the area where the manager of the inn keeps his animals. A lot of times, this was like a cave or in the cleft of a rock. It’s not a nice barn or something like that. It’s dark. It may be dank. It certainly smells, and this is where she has to give birth. Nothing sanitary or sterile about this place. We don’t know how long they were there when she finally gives birth, but don’t you know that was an eye-opening experience for Joseph and Mary. Think about the first time you were in the delivery room – what you saw, heard, smell. Mary gives birth to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and is placed in a manger. My daddy pointed out that while it seems like the most unlikely place for Jesus to be born that it was the only place He could be born because the King of Kings came first to be the bread of life for mankind. Just as the animals went to the manger to eat and get nutrients, so do we go to Christ to get our sustenance.

Do you know that Luke never references the star? We get that gem from Matthew. We know it’s been in the sky for about two years when the Magi arrive, so we know it was in the sky when the shepherds came. It’s an assumption that people make, but I doubt they know why. I would have loved to have seen Joseph’s face when the shepherds told them of the angels and the star. You know he had to go out and see it immediately. I wonder how many times Mary took Jesus out at night and pointed at the star.

Lessons Learned in Mary's Shoes

LESSONS LEARNED IN MARY’S SANDALS:

I confess that Mary is not one of the women in the Bible that I was dying to study or teach, and yet that is what I’ll be doing. How many times have you heard her story especially at Christmas time? You hear the same story year after year after year. People have preconceived thoughts and ideas about Mary; some of which are not biblically based. While my blogs are biblically based, they are not the Word of God unless in italic. I study customs and traditions. I consider what people might have heard and thought and felt by putting myself into their sandals, so my perspective is colored by the life I’ve walked. But it is my goal that as I sit down, praying for wisdom, that God reveals a little something for me to chew on, something new and fresh. So, let’s dive into the lessons I learned while wearing Mary’s sandals.

Mary is old enough to be betrothed, so people estimate her age anywhere from 15-17 years of age. Girls back then didn’t go to school. They learned life skills at the hands and feet of their mothers and grandmothers. These skills would be needed to run their own homes, and these lessons would have started when they were quite young. For Mary to stand out above the rest of the girls her age in order to find favor with God, He must have seen something special about her. But then again, He did create her, and He created her for this life. God’s name, El Roi, the God who sees, was given by Hagar another poor pregnant woman who had run away from Abram and Sarai. When it seems like the choices you make are inconsequential, think again. God is watching. Does your behavior, attitude and actions give God a reason to find favor in you? He created you for your life. Are you living up to the potential that He created in you?

Then the angel appears. After 500 years of no communication from God, Mary is the second person to receive a personal visit from an angel of God. How significant is that!? A poor, humble, young virgin visits with an angel before the head of the priests, before leaders in government, before her fiancé. I would have to think the fact that the angel called her by name had to be as alarming as it was comforting. She does not doubt what the angel says, but can you imagine how difficult it was to process? I love the fact that Luke chronicles the fact that Mary does try to process what she’s hearing. And even when she can’t completely understand everything, she says, Let it be as you have said.  How often has God attempted to communicate to you or lead you in a different direction just for you to balk or go the other way because it is comfortable or a known path? Have you ever just trusted God and followed allowing the chips fall where God allows? That’s what Mary did at 15 to 17 years of age. It may be one of the reasons she was chosen for this role in history.

I also notice the things God didn’t say. God knew not to give Mary all the details of the big picture because had she known how cruelly Jesus would have died, she might not have enjoyed his babyhood, childhood, or teen years. She wouldn’t live the life of being Jesus’s mom or a mom to her other children. He also doesn’t explain about the kingdom that Jesus will rule, when that will be or what it will look like. He doesn’t tell her all the things to come because it would simply be too difficult to understand and appreciate and it would be so overwhelming. Instead, God shoulders that responsibility and gives Mary just enough to make her way for the day, for the moment, knowing she will trust Him for the rest.

When I thought about the Holy Spirit hovering over her, my mind went to Zephaniah 3:17, and how God sings over us with rejoicing. I wondered if she heard God rejoicing because if there was ever a time for rejoicing, this would be the time. How awesome that experience must have been for Mary! It’s not the first time in Scripture that the Spirit hovered. If this peaks your interest, it would be a great study.

At some point, Mary has to tell her family about the messenger. We don’t know if she tells them about the angel or of a messenger. Either way, we know that she leaves shortly thereafter to go and visit Elizabeth. Most likely she would have needed a letter from her father or male relative to travel abroad without chaperone. I find it highly unlikely that Mary would have done a lot of traveling by herself prior to this excursion. She would have had to spend the night along the road or in an inn. It could have been a frightful time if she didn’t believe what God had set into motion. She had to know that God would protect her and her unborn baby at all costs.

Mary enters Elizabeth’s home and greets her. Elizabeth is about 6 months pregnant and is full of the Holy Spirit as is her baby, John, who leaps. I wonder if Mary’s voice is the first voice that John heard while in the womb. Either way, he was already testifying to the existence of a Savior while in the womb. Elizabeth’s greeting to Mary confirmed what the angel had told Mary. I love to see women encouraging women, affirming one another. Elizabeth was not jealous. She was thankful for her own blessing. She didn’t need to covet Mary’s. Elizabeth’s greeting is met with Mary’s Magnificat. You can see how she worships the Lord. You can see her heart. She is overwhelmed by the idea that generations to come will know of her and call her blessed. When something amazing happens to you or on your behalf, what is the first thing that you do? Do you give God the glory?

In Her Sandals -- Mary on the Move

        We head back to Bethlehem to the little home we’ve rented. I’m a little nervous because this is the first time I’ve been with Joseph. We’ve already been through so much together, and he’s been so patient in waiting as have I. Even though he’s not Jesus’s father, he loves Jesus as his very own. I see the way he looks at Jesus. I watch him when he holds Jesus and talks to him and wraps Jesus’s hand around a toy he made for him. When most men would have abandoned me and divorced me, he stayed. When I could have born such shame from those around me, he took me and made me his wife. That act alone gave me a place, a standing in this world. He leads by following what God gives him in dreams. How can I not love this man? How can I not give myself completely and wholly to him? We are husband and wife in every sense of the word.

            We get settled into a routine in Bethlehem, and even though everything seems “normal,” the star still shines at night. I love staring up into the night sky. I doubt that Jesus can see it, but I show it to him anyway. I tell him that’s his star. God is giving a sign, a big, bright sign. Jesus is toddling around, getting into everything, curious as to how things work. He’s constantly banging things together and stacking his blocks. He jabbers as he lines up his blocks, and I wonder what he’s saying. He’s such a sweet baby and such a joy. One night around Jesus’s second birthday, there’s a knock at the door. Joseph answers as I clean away the dishes. There are men from the East saying they are kings, Magi, who have come to worship the king. Really!? This hasn’t happened in some time. I am surprised. I know I shouldn’t be, but I am. They were so excited and filled with joy. Come to find out, they’ve been searching for Jesus for a long time. They bowed in front of Jesus and laid down gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. Jesus warms up to them quickly grabbing their cloaks and garlands, and they are thrilled when he allows them to pick him up. I’m hesitant. They’re Gentiles, but Jesus is safe, so I just try to take it all in. When they leave, I consider the gifts they gave. The gold is for royalty. I smile because he is the King of the Jews. He will reign over the house of David. That’s what the angel told me. Frankincense is for deity. They don’t realize just how significant this is. He is Immanuel, Jesus, Son of God. It’s the third gift that gives me concern – myrrh. It’s what they use to prepare a body to be buried. Jesus is just a baby. He has a long life ahead of him. Why would they give him myrrh? I pack them all away knowing that one day a long time from now I’ll give them to Jesus to do with as he sees fit. I lay Jesus down in his crib. I kiss Joseph goodnight, and I go to bed.

            I don’t know how long I’ve been asleep when Joseph begins tossing and turning in his sleep and talking in his sleep. I place my hand on his chest, and he calms down. I roll over, and as I begin to drift back to sleep, Joseph wakes me gently saying, Get up. God’s given me a dream. We have to leave, and we have to leave now. I roll over and look into his face, and I know it’s time for action, not questions. I get out of the bed, pack Jesus’s clothes and a few toys, a bag of food and flasks of water. I grab the gold, frankincense and myrrh. Whatever I can throw quickly into bags, gets loaded onto our donkey. I pick Jesus up and put him in a wrap and secure him to my body. He’s warm and safe. I don’t get to tell anyone good-bye. We just disappear into the night, skipping out on our rental lease.

I’m so exhausted by the time we get to stop, and we don’t get to stop for long. Joseph is emphatic that we keep moving and get out of the region. Several weeks later word comes, and I hear about all those innocent baby boys that were murdered per Herod’s instructions. My heart shatters for those mommas and babies, and to know that God protected us is overwhelming. I know that even now God sees me and is protecting Jesus and myself. When I couldn't have protected my baby, God was. Who would have thought that a poor, young virgin like myself would ever play a role in history like this? Certainly not me.

In Her Sandals -- Mary Sees the Face of the Son of God

We arrive in Bethlehem, and it is busting at the seams. People are everywhere. Everyone from David’s lineage is here. Talk about a family reunion! We have no place to stay, and I start to get a bit discouraged and a little weepy. I find myself getting weepy from time-to-time. Inn after inn manager tells us they are full and beyond capacity. We finally find an inn manager who says he will let us stay with his animals. I know he’s being compassionate because he doesn’t have to do it, but he sees my swollen belly, feet and legs, and he knows I could drop this baby at any time. Neither he nor his wife can live with that.

We make our way to a cleft in the rock where they keep their cow, sheep and donkey. I am so tired that I don’t even care how badly it smells, but the wife comes and mucks out the stalls laying down fresh hay. I try to help, but let’s face it, I can’t get up on my own once I’m down. I rest as much as I can, and I sleep as well as one can when there are animals around you.

Joseph makes his way around town finding out where he has to go to register and what is required. He doesn’t wander away often or too far. He also knows at any moment Jesus could come, and he asks the manager’s wife to check on me when she can.

The time came, and Joseph was there, right by my side the whole time, holding my hand, stroking my hair as the manager’s wife helped me deliver the Son of God. He cries. I cry, and we clean the baby up. He’s wrapped tightly in the swaddling clothes that are prepared for him, and he’s put on my chest. His sweet puffy eyes and pink skin. I stroke his face, and Joseph holds us both. I kiss Jesus on the forehead and begin to nurse. This is a moment I will treasure – the three of us with the animals in the cleft of the rock.

Night falls, and I know I can’t hold him all night. I’ve held him all day. I didn’t know what the Son of God’s face would look like as a tiny baby, so I’ve studied his features while I held him in my arms. His eye brows, his nose, his lips, his ears, his hair, his eyes. This is the face of God’s Son. I’m holding God’s Son, and while I know I need to put him down, I just hold on for one moment longer before Joseph takes him and lays him in the manger Joseph prepared with fresh hay and blankets. I've protected him for nine months inside my womb, but now He's here, and I'm a little overwhelmed that now I protect Him with the fiercest mother's love I've ever known.

Even though Jesus was placed in the manger, the animal’s trough for food, none of them bothered him. There was a curious lamb, but they never got close. When it was their feeding time, we removed Jesus and his blankets so they could feed. I knew this arrangement was not permanent. I knew at some point in time we would be living somewhere else, but in the meantime, my baby would share his bed with the animals. It was the best we could do, and I wonder what kind of place is this for the future king.

It is well past meal time when we hear a commotion outside our makeshift home. Joseph goes to check it out and meets some shepherds who are heading in our direction. They keep looking up into the night sky. They are so excited and animated and loud. They are talking over each other in their excitement. One runs ahead of another as they jostle to get to Joseph. They ask Joseph if this is where the Christ child is. Surprised, Joseph tells them “yes.” The shepherds come in as Joseph stands there stooped by what’s going on. That’s when I saw Joseph look into the sky. He stared for a moment, looked at me, and grinned.

To be honest, I know shepherds are typically smelly people, but I couldn’t smell them over the other smells in our little place. They were just so excited.  We hadn’t told anyone about Jesus being born. I doubt the manager’s wife went and told them, plus we didn’t tell her that I had just given birth to God’s Son. That’s when they told us about the angel and the singing angels. They told us how the sky exploded with a bright light and the sound of angels singing, announcing the birth of the Messiah. They said people had to hear it from miles around. They were compelled to come. They were drawn to find him. They had nothing to offer the Savior. Their clothes were soiled, and they smelled from living with the sheep. They had nothing of value to offer, but what they gave was the purest form of worship and adoration. It was so beautiful. I again cried.

I don’t remember how long they stayed, but when they left, Joseph walked me outside to see the star beaming proudly above our humble beginning, and it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in the night sky.

Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day as is custom and outlined under the Law, and we would have to wait a little longer to complete the Redemption of the first born and Purification Offering and Ceremony. We travel to the temple in Jerusalem for that. The trip wasn’t as difficult as I thought it might be. Jesus travels well. We consecrate Jesus and make a sacrificial offering in his place. We also complete my Purification Offering with two turtledoves. As we are in the temple, a man named Simeon approaches us. He took Jesus from my arms. Normally, I’d be a bit taken aback, but when he starts speaking, I know it’s of the Lord. Simeon says,

Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel. Simeon said, then he blessed Joseph and I. Looking me in the face, he says, This child is destined to cause the failing and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.

            That is a lot to process. I do my best to remember everything he’s said when a woman comes over. I discover her name is Anna. She is very old, but I see a light in her eyes. Her eyebrows raise as do the corners of her mouth. She started thanking God and bringing strangers over saying they needed redemption. This is the baby that was born to redeem them. She was filled with such joy. Joseph and I were amazed by the people who knew about Jesus already when we hadn’t said a word.

            That night as I nursed this sweet baby, I thought about what Simeon had said. My baby is salvation, and a light for Gentiles. I understand that Jesus has come to reclaim the throne of David, but what do Gentiles have to do with anything? I wonder who will fall and who will rise because of my son. I’m concerned that people will speak against him and my mother's instinct already kicks up a notch. I can’t help but wonder what he meant by, a sword will pierce your own soul too. I’m not concerned for me, but rather, what does this mean for Jesus? Protecting the Savior. That’s my job. I’m his mom. He's a baby. The task seems too daunting and overwhelming, and he’s not even two months old yet.

In Her Sandals -- Mary

My journey to Elizabeth’s home was uneventful. I know God is protecting me. He won’t let anything happen to the baby I carry. I see Zechariah and Elizabeth’s home. I can’t wait to see her. I haven’t seen her in a long time. I knock on their door and enter their home greeting Elizabeth whose pregnancy is clearly in full bloom. As I speak to her, this look comes over her face, and she grabs my hand and puts it on her belly. The baby within her is kicking and actively moving.

Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!

I step back to listen because Elizabeth is so loud as she’s telling me these things. I haven’t even told her I was pregnant. How could she possibly know?!

My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me – holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers.

And this is how our visit began. I cannot tell you how relieved I was to hear Elizabeth testify and prophesy to me. It affirmed my feelings and thoughts, and it confirmed what the angel had said. Not that I doubted, but the reassurance was a blessing. Elizabeth knew I was carrying God’s Son without my telling her, maybe others will too.

Elizabeth shared with me the miracle of her conception which explained while Zechariah was mute. I’m not really sure what to make of all of that, but now I understand why Elizabeth was thankful for my instant belief that God was able to do the impossible. Apparently, Zechariah hadn’t believed.

I love being here for her last trimester. I’m helping to take care of her and her home, helping her to prepare for John’s birthday. Elizabeth is so patient with me on those days that I’m fighting morning sickness or fatigue. We are a pair. That’s for sure.

I am there for John’s arrival. How amazing! What a little miracle. I know it’s time for me to head home, so Elizabeth can get used to being the mother she always wanted to be. I head home carrying Jesus in my womb. He’s always with me. That fact alone is so comforting.

I’m not showing yet, but I know the day is coming, and people are going to start asking questions. Here’s the thing. I left right after the angel visited me. I left to go see Elizabeth, so I know there will be those who think I got pregnant while I was gone, and that I was unfaithful to Joseph. Joseph knows he hasn’t been with me. He will know the baby isn’t his. I’m able to keep my pregnancy hidden for some time, but eventually, someone notices the change in my body. My family has a sit-down. I tell them about the angel and what the angel said. I tell them about what Elizabeth said. I can see the doubt and confusion in their faces. I ask them to trust me. I’ve never given them any reason to doubt me before. Trust me for the unbelievable.

Someone has to tell Joseph. I’m not sure who is chosen to tell him. I wouldn’t do anything to shame or hurt Joseph, but this isn’t about him. This is about God. It’s about His plan, not mine.

We wait for Joseph’s response. He could publicly disgrace me and divorce me, and then no one will want to marry me. He could divorce me silently, but men rarely choose that option. He could marry me is the last option. That would be a miracle. If Joseph does either of the first two, my family will make the next choice regarding my life and Jesus’s life. So, I wait, and I pray. Boy, do I pray!

Word comes from Joseph that he has to go to Bethlehem for the census because he is of the house of David. As soon as I hear that Joseph is of the house of David, my mind goes back to what the angel said. My baby, Jesus, was to reign over the house of David. It’s a very little piece of the puzzle. He tells my family that I am to get my things together and go with him. He intends to marry me. Oh how I love that man!

I started packing the few things I have for myself and the clothes I have for Jesus are so small and soft. I pack a few personal things because I really don’t have much, and Joseph and I start our trek. It’s the first time that Joseph and I have been alone, and the silence is a bit awkward. We begin talking at the same time, grin, and he tells me he knows that I haven’t been unfaithful and that I’m carrying God’s Son. I just want to break down in tears, and as a matter of fact, I do. What a relief! Relief washes all over me. I breathe deeply and feel the tension in my shoulders slowly melt away. Since he knows, I don’t have to tell him about the angel’s visit or what happened at Elizabeth’s, but we have about 90 miles of walking and plenty of time, so I do.

I know I’m moving slower than a herd of turtles, but when you are eight and a half months pregnant, walking on cobble stone streets and dirt paths make for some very swollen feet and ankles, not that I can see them, but I can definitely feel them. We take frequent breaks and occasionally I can ride, but truth is, that is uncomfortable as well. I don’t complain though for I know it won’t be long before this little one that I’ve protected inside my womb will make his entrance into this world, and everything will change. Everything.