Why A Mother?

Every year for the last 5 or 6 years, I have written a "Christmas post".  This year, I spent quite bit of time considering what I would write about.  What about this Christmas is profound in my mind and heart?  Well, to begin with, this is our first Christmas without Bernice.  That alone is profound enough!  But 2016 has given me new insight into why God chose to come to earth as a baby.  Part of that insight has to do with Bernice.  I have seen what an integral role she plays in this family.  I've always known she was the backbone of the Womack clan, but her absence sure magnifies that.  Some of it has to do with watching my own mother, even as the mother of 30 and 32 year old daughters, spend so much of her energy pouring encouragement, love, compassion, and understanding into the lives of my sister and me.  Still more has to do with watching one of my dearest friends wade through the grief of losing her own mother.  I've watched how profoundly impacted she and her little family are by the loss of a mom, a mother in law, a grandmother, a sister, an aunt.  And further still, as this heavy 2016 comes to a close, I find myself holding the hand of yet another of my closest friends as she steps into the role I took on in May for my Bernice.  Caretaker of her mother-in-law who she cherishes so deeply.  Since her mother-in-law has only sons, no sisters, and her mother is no longer with us, my sweet friend has stepped into the role of "God appointed daughter".  And I'm struck once again at how God knits stories together so seamlessly...

I considered for a good long while why God chose to incarnate himself as a baby.  There's the quintessential answer that "babies are vulnerable" or "a baby is the least likely to be a king".  But I think there's more to it than that.  You see, God created the heart of mothers. We are created in His image, and I believe that the heart of a mother is near and dear to His own heart.  He knew that He had to come to earth, live the perfect life, and die to cover all our sins.  I suppose, if I were God, I would want to enter this world in the gentlest way possible.  Especially since He knew what He was walking into!  He wanted His first breaths to be drawn nestled on the warm chest of a mother.  He wanted the first human who touched Him to have the soft hands and tender warmness of a mother.  He wanted the first sight that His heavenly eyes gazed upon to be the kind eyes of a mother.  And He knew that He wanted and needed a mother to help Him walk the road He would have to walk on this earth.  He needed her support.  Her guidance.  Her patience.  Her encouragement.  Her compassion.  He needed her to be firm but also mild.  He needed her to have that mother's intuition...

So this Christmas, if you have a mother who is still here with you, give her extra attention.  Sit close to her while you open presents.  Thank her for the meal she is preparing for you.  Enjoy the joy in her eyes as she watches her family delighting in the magic of Christmas.  If you are missing your mother this year, take several moments to remember her warmth.  Remember her compassion.  Remember what she did to make your holidays merry.  Remember how she impacted your life and how she continues to impact your life in her absence.  If you are a mother, take a moment to soak in your family and be reminded that it is a heart like yours that God chose to be His "soft landing" when He came crashing into our world...

I like to think that Mary did know.  She knew the treasure she was holding.  The phrase "and she pondered these things in her heart"...that sounds just like a mother to me.  Mothers know more, feel more, do more than they let others think they do.  Mary knew.  But regardless of who He was, she loved on that little baby, raised that little boy, and supported that great man until the bitter end.  I know she would have done that whether Jesus was the Son of God or not.  She was there when He drew His first breath, and she was there when He drew His last.  And God knew exactly what He was doing when He chose a mother to be His guiding light on earth...

Merry Christmas, y'all.  Thank God for your Mom and give her a few extra hugs this weekend.  Remind her of her incredible worth, and, if you're a mother yourself, be reminded of yours...