One thing that I cannot push from my mind is that Mary was a widow.
Sometime between Jesus being 12 years old and his being 30, we can only assume that his father died.
On the cross Jesus told John to take care of his mom so she would be taken into his house and become part of John's family. The significance of this really strikes me. How could I possibly say, "Why me Lord???" When the mother of our Savior was also widowed?
We don't know at what age this happened but as I look at my 16 year old son, Jesus could very well have been this age and when he lost his earthly dad. When Scripture tells us that God understands our pain, even in the area of widowhood and being orphaned, his own family wasn't spared.
Mary must have wondered why God allowed Jesus' father to die.
"Why God why???"
"Why is the mother of Jesus allowed to be a widow?"
"Why is Jesus allowed to be an orphan, without the protection and leadership of a father?"
"Why God why?"
In this Christmas season we widows have great fellowship and something in common with the precious mom of our Savior.
Rachel's husband died in July of 2012 of a blood clot to the brain, while she and her husband and two children were ministering as missionaries in Southern Mexico. Rachel and her two teenage children moved back to the United States six months after her husband's sudden death. She recently became a licensed realtor and is looking for God to use her in unexpected ways in this next chapter of her life. She continues to homeschool her two children and volunteer in her church in Colorado. Visit her two blogs: Click A Way In The Wilderness for her journey through grief, and for the record of her work in Mexico click here for Mama Raquel's Cocina.
I so identify with Rachel's almost every word. I too came from a horrific dysfunctional background with much verbal abuse, some physical and emotional. Baggage was putting it mildly when my husband and I married. He came from the Walton family. God's gift to me was my husband's love, faithfulness and his unwavering faith and assurance of knowing that he was God's child. . He had so very many strengths and assurances of which I admired and felt so secure.
ReplyDeleteWhen being with him (most of the time) I felt secure as a small child would wrapping up with it's favorite security blanket. A minister once said to me "you loved him but God loved him more and God doesn't make mistakes".
I had mentioned once to you Ferree, I was a surfer on my husband's faith. The separation has been been excruciating to put it mildly. But it is true God's grace is sufficient for our every step.
A lady came up to me at my husbands funeral and put one arm around me and took her other arm and reached it up towards heaven and said "honey, please know that your husband is still with you and at this very moment God has one arm around him and his other arm is around you holding you both within his mighty love." To this very day I still envision that wonderful simple gesture of God's arms around us both at the very same time.
On our gravestone at the cemetery I actually didn't put any words except a beautiful brass emblem of Christ sitting on a rock with a little girl on one side and a little boy on the other side of him and his arms are around both the little boy and the little girl looking upon them with a smile, wrapped with the mighty arms of his love.
dodi
You must have read Rachel's blog, too, Dodi. I hope everyone can visit, it's full of good and honest wisdom, well-earned from her walk with God. And, Dodi, I'd love to see that headstone. Maybe in the spring we can get together and visit again. May your Christmas bring you unexpected blessing and peace.
ReplyDeleteI was blest also on Rachel's blog re: about Mary, mother of Jesus being a Widow. Just maybe God allowed Jesus to become an orphan of his earthly father so he would be able to identify with orphan children and eye witnessed first hand the pain and grief of a widowed mother.
ReplyDeleteWhat greater proof could a widow ask for (of Christ's love and concern for widows) during his most agony of moments he expressed his great love, compassion and tenderness for humanity to look down and commit his widowed mother to the care taking of John the Beloved.
I have read that at the time of the crucifixion none of Christ's brothers were believers, this is probably why he asked John to provide care for her.
Also have read that Mary lived with John and died in the 12th year after the resurrection of Christ at the age of 59, she is said to have been buried in the garden of Gethsemane by John the Beloved Disciple.
dodi
dodi