God with us. Emmanuel. Gone. Mary’s world went quiet. And she walked away with heavy steps, tearing herself, wounded and weary, away from the scene of her son’s agony.
The Bible doesn’t tell us what the next few days were like for this Mother of Sorrows. But, we can imagine that she was grieved. Pained. Anguished. The sorrow must have felt like it would bury her forever. By the time Jesus made his first appearance to his followers, alive, healed, and glorious, Mary must have already died a thousand deaths herself, reliving the crucifixion in her mother’s heart. Imagine how she jumped and shouted and laughed and cried tears of relief when she heard the news: Her precious son was alive!
We don’t know if Mary ever saw Jesus again on this earth. We don’t know if they ever sat down and talked about everything that had happened. We don’t know if she ever dampened his shoulder with her tears of joy.
What we do know is that God dealt tenderly with this daughter of his. We know that he sent her angels and prophets and devoted friends. We know that he took the time to prepare her heart for the many sorrows she would face. We know that he gave her the faith to trust him, even when things were as bad as they could get. We know that he gave her more than any one woman could possibly handle. Then he carried her through it all, with might and grace and gentleness.
As a mother you may be going through a sorrowful time. You may be feeling weak and weary and like you will never survive this phase of life. You may feel like your soul has been pierced over and over again, and that you will never, ever be able to recover. But, if you know this Jesus, Mary’s son, the Son of God, the Word in the Flesh, then you are never without hope. He is alive, and He is as real as the pain you are feeling. Jesus is so much more than a baby in a manger. He is the Savior of the world, and he can rescue you from your shattered heart, your wounded soul, your anxiety, your grief, your utter disappointment.
Emmanuel. God with us. God with you, mama. God so clearly shows us in his word that he understands the agony that mothers will go through. Motherhood is all at once the most unspeakable joy and the most devastating heartache. He will carry you through every moment, just like he did his own dear, chosen girl, Mary, Mother of Sorrows. Look to his goodness. Look to his love. He is here, at Christmas and always.
Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” Matthew 1:22-23
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This article originally appeared at Your Mom Has a Blog.
