Mom: A Heart-Hitting Experience

Luke 2:41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. 43 And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 44 but supposing him to be in the group they went a day's journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 45 and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” 49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?” 50 And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. 51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.
Motherhood: something I've never experienced.  But I have observed a lot of moms as they manuever through the experience of carrying, delivering, raising, and then letting go of their children.  Sometimes it hits hard: either because things seem so too good to be true, or because it seems too bad to bear.  Often the two can intertwine, leaving moms at a loss as exactly how to fear or react. The bottom line, as with any of us, is to evaluate our feelings and experiences through the will of God. It takes asking ourselves the questions Jesus asks of Mary here: Why has God entrusted Me to you? What is it God has made Me to do? How can you best response to assist God's plan instead of resisting it?  Getting hit between the eyes hurts, but when we come back to our senses, may we be able to see what Mary saw: God working out His plan before our very eyes. And may we understand that much of our part is standing back in awe and wonder of Him, and that He would allow us to be involved at all.