The Unclaimed Gift: Breath Of Heaven

John 3:12 "I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?"

I was looking for a video using sign language that I had seen recently. Youngest daughter learned to sign years ago, becoming quite adept at it. But, as my Abba is in the habit of doing, He blocked the site where the video was that I wanted to use and kept putting this video in it's place. It is completely unrelated to the ASL (American Sign Language) version I was looking at but then again is it? As I sat, at first unsure of how He wished me to proceed, I began to watch and listen to this beautiful young girl as she interpreted Amy Grant's version of how Mary must have felt. So, with God's guidance, here is what He would have me write today.

It is said that Mary was just a teenage girl. Many people, in their reading of the story, do not realize that not only was she young, she was also not married to Joseph when the Christ child was born. If you notice, in Luke 2:1-7, the story of Christ's birth, it tells us that Mary was pledged to Joseph. It is not hard for me to imagine that Mary was much like the girl in the video. Young, frightened, unsure, begging God for the reasons as to why He had placed this gift upon her. For she knew, without a doubt, that in spite of all the signs to the contrary, that this was a gift of great magnitude. Yet she knew also, that in spite of all that she knew on the inside, everything on the outside looked, to the world, like she had made a mistake that would set her forever on a path of sin.

There was one in Mary's family who did not judge incorrectly. In Luke 1, you can read the story of Elizabeth. When the pregnant Mary went to visit Elizabeth, she was welcomed with love and praise to God. It says that Mary stayed there 3 months. It is strictly my opinion, but I would imagine that Mary was being judged harshly because of her unwed pregnancy. Her only refuge was someone who loved and accepted her with no condemnation. No daily reminders of her sin. No pointed comments about what could have been. No references to how she had ruined her life. In reality, all those things were true. But they were pointless statements made after the fact. I am sure that, to Mary, the obvious didn't need to be pointed out. All she had to do was look in the mirror and see her changing body to know that her life was definitely not headed down the road she had probably imagined.

But Mary knew that, in spite of what it seemed like to the world, she had seen an angel. She had heard the plans of the Lord. She had obeyed what seemed like an impossible directive. She knew that no matter what the world thought of her actions, no matter if she seemed like a nutcase for saying she had seen an angel, no matter that she was all alone in bearing up under what seemed like an incredible burden, she knew that she was doing what God wanted her to do. And that was all that mattered. However, she needed someone on her side. A woman. Someone who could help her bear up under the pain of public scrutiny.

Now I am not saying for a moment that God wants women to all run out and get pregnant without being married and use the excuse that it was in God's plan all along. Having been an unwed mother, having a daughter who was an unwed mother, having friends who have daughter's who are unwed mothers, having a husband who was born of an unwed mother, having seen the pain and hurt that comes with an unplanned pregnancy, I know without a doubt that it is not in God's plan for us. Yet, when we make the choice that results in an unplanned baby, we need someone to turn to. A woman who God has placed in our lives. A woman who will not judge. A woman who will just love.

When I was pregnant, unmarried, and totally without direction, God placed in my life a woman who changed my life forever. Her name is not important to anyone but me but she knows who she is. She had no reason to love me. I was just a burden to her. She had no choice in having to take me in. I was selfish, stubborn, hateful, and just plain mean. I lashed out at her constantly. I took all my heartache out on her. Yet, she held me close, wiped away my tears, and loved me no matter what. Looking back, I now realize that she was my Elizabeth. I am eternally grateful for her.

Are you called to be some one's Elizabeth today? I have seen the lives of girls changed by the Elizabeth's in their lives. Help someone to dance with joy today. Teach them that God's mercy is free and His grace is unlimited. Let them look into your eyes and see God's love. Even Mary, the mother of Christ, needed an Elizabeth. Know that, despite their apparent anger and selfish behavior, somewhere, someday, they will remember and be grateful. You will have changed their lives forever. You will have showed them a breath of Heaven.

originally published November 2011

scripture from NIV Bible