Baby food.
At four months old, per the advice of our pediatrician, we started giving our little one solid baby food. So, naturally, with the help of my overachieving younger sister, we took to the kitchen to start making my little one some delicious, baby-safe, and nutritious treats.
This milestone was huge for us.
My little one loves to eat. Sometimes, I’ll feed him a bottle, and shortly after, he’ll convince his dad that he needs another one. By his third month, teaching us how to be parents, we noticed that he was watching us take every bite of our food and wanted a bite of his own. And everywhere we go, people are always convinced that he is months older than he is.
However, this week, as I cleaned carrot and squash puree off my baby’s mouth (and everywhere else he’d managed to get his food), I thought of other moms and how this and other significant milestones must also impact them as mothers.
All too soon, the precious heart of Mary entered my mind.
While powerful, the song “Mary, Did You Know?” has always made me scratch my head. Mary was a follower of the Most High before she accepted the task of carrying the Lord’s son, which is part of the reason she was chosen.
When she accepted the call to carry Jesus, in Luke 1:46-49, she said,
My soul exalts the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave;
For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.
For the Mighty One has done great things for me;
And holy is His name.
Mary was handpicked by God because of her commitment to and love for the Lord.
As she grew up, she heard the stories of the old and of the prophecies to be fulfilled. When Gabriel came to her and revealed that she had been chosen by God to give birth to the Messiah, she humbly accepted it.
And from the moment He was conceived, she was His mother.
Because of her commitment to the Most High, I think Mary knew what could happen. She knew what the prophets had said of the coming Messiah, and I can’t help but wonder if she halfway prayed that the Lord would spare her Son at every major growing milestone.
As she changed diapers, cleaned up carrot puree, and encouraged Jesus to take His first steps, I wonder if a part of her questioned whether or not the Lord would do what was prophesied, and offer her Son up as the sacrifice for the world.
Jesus was her baby.
She had been the one to swaddle, nurse, and care for him throughout so many of his major human milestones – surely she thought it was just a test like that of Abraham and Isaac!
But, alas, her baby boy was the ram in the thicket – the Savior for all mankind.
I can’t imagine Mary’s pain as she witnessed the prophecies unfold. As the events of Holy Week occurred, anxiety filled her soul. But regardless of how she felt, she was there.
As they dragged her baby down the Via Dolorosa, she followed.
She watched when they hung Him on that wooden cross made for criminals.
When they speared His side and pronounced Him dead, she wailed.
She was there through every significant milestone, to the point of death.
As a new mom, I can’t fathom what Mary’s heart experienced being the mother of Jesus – especially throughout Holy Week. But I do know that she remained faithful as both mother and follower of the Lord.
If I had been asked to raise my son for slaughter, I don’t know how I would have responded. Yet, Mary and her faith never wavered.
Today, we as Christian moms can learn a lesson from Mary’s obedience and presence in Jesus’s life. As we celebrate our children’s milestones, may we take every opportunity to be present, undistracted, and focused on the Lord’s plans for their little lives. After all, our children are the greatest gift we’ve been given.
Behold, children are a gift of the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;
They will not be ashamed
When they speak with their enemies in the gate (Psalm 127:3-5).
