Mary Did You Know?

I was raised a Catholic so I have some of the beliefs and traditions almost embedded in me.  Catholicism taught me to respect and adore Mary, Jesus' mother.  I have always had a great love for Mary, and once I became a mother, my love and respect grew.  When I was driving to work the song "Mary Did You Know?" came on and it really had me thinking.  It made me think of how Mary felt being Jesus' mother.  In a lot of ways, she can relate to how we, as mothers today, feel and what we are going through.  Imagine the stress she felt knowing she was carrying God's child.  Today we are pressured with eating the correct food, gaining the right amount of weight, doing everything perfectly so that the child we carry for 9 months has the best chance of being born healthy.  Could you imagine carrying God's child? I know I would be a nervous wreck trying to take the best care of the unborn child I was carrying.  Then when she gave birth to Jesus, I can only imagine the pride she felt.  I know that my daughter is my pride and joy.  Her son was perfect, without sin, and God's chosen son! Wow, the amount of pride she must have felt! Then as He grew older and performed miracles, cured the sick, taught of the good of our Father, how honored she was.  I am proud of my daughter when she recites her ABC's perfectly or says thank you without being reminded.  Could you imagine having a perfect sinless child?  And the heartbreak she had to go through watching her son die for all of our sins.  I absolutely could not imagine that.  When my daughter was first born I had this constant fear of losing her.  I wanted to put her in a bubble so that I could protect her and ensure she would always be safe.  As she has grown older, I have become less fearful, but I still worry about her often.  I think it's only natural for a mother to worry about her children.  It's our instinct to protect our children.  Mary could not protect her son from the pain he endured as he was crucified for our sins.  I could not even imagine.  Mary is such a great example for us mothers.  When we are stressed about being the best mom, and raising our children the right way, and wondering if our children will turn out to be good human beings, we can always turn to Mary.  She went through it all and God got her through every step.  So mommies, I encourage you to always turn to God when any need arises with your children.  He will lead you through it all.