Could never walk in Mary's sandals

WELCOME!

If you're visiting from Lysa's blog I'm so happy you're here!

Last night during our six year old daughter's Christmas program at church I held a 9 day old baby who is just so tiny and precious. As we sang "Away in the Manger" together I began thinking about Jesus' mom Mary. Okay, there's a reason why God picked sweet, innocent Mary to be the chosen mother of Jesus instead of me.

Here's how the Bible would read if I had been the one in Mary's sandals...

And the angel finished telling Lelia that she had been chosen to carry baby Jesus.

Lelia stopped washing her clothes in the river & said, "Wait a minute angel...you want me to do WHAT? I can't do that, no way. You've got the wrong girl."

Angel: "Look , I'm just as surprised as you are that God picked you so don't complain...just do it!"

Then the angel gladly left her.

Later, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream telling Joseph to not be afraid to take Lelia home as his wife and when Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Lelia home as his wife.


He then decided to move to another town, so after packing his beautiful bride on the back of the donkey, they headed out.

A few miles down the road Lelia began to whine, "Joeeeeeeeeeeeey!! Are we there yet? You know what?
Just stop the donkey!
Stop the donkey!
I want off of this thing!"

"Lelia, honey, were making good time, and if we stop now we'll be way behind schedule."


"Joseph if you don't stop this donkey now & let me off to rest, so help me..."

Wanting to keep his girl happy, Joseph stopped the donkey & gently helped Lelia get down carefully from the animal. Lelia then found a big rock and sat down on it.

As Joseph began to eat the snacks he had packed in his back pack, he could feel the cold stares coming from Lelia. He stopped eating and looked at her and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me?" Lelia snarled. "Let's see Joseph. First you make me go through my possessions and pack what I can fit into this tiny bag and make me choose 1 pair of sandals out of the 15 that I love. Then you make your 65 pounds heavier very pregnant wife ride on the back of this donkey you call The Blessing while you take me on the not-so-scenic route of the desert while only going 2 miles an hour. So what's wrong with me Joey is that I have one pair of tight sandals for my swollen feet that I can't even see, I'm fat, and my back & butt are sore. Let's not forget that you just informed me how you "forgot" to make a hotel reservation in Bethlehem. Oh, AND to top it all off, when I politely asked you to stop so I can rest, you give me attitude by yanking me off this pet of yours and before my feet touch the ground you're feeding your face. Any more questions?"

Looking around for the angel that told him not to be afraid of taking Lelia as his wife, Joseph hid on the other side of the donkey while quietly eating his granola mix until his wife calmed down.

Twenty minutes had passed when a refreshed Lelia sweetly informed the love of her life that she was ready to get going. After struggling to help his 65 pound heavier barefoot very pregnant wife back onto The Blessing, Joseph began to lead the way again...

 

Okay, need I say more? I have trouble saying "yes" when I'm asked to help out in the nursery at church, so God definitely knew what He was doing when He chose Miss Mary instead of Miss Lelia to carry His precious Son!

Don't you just adore Mary though? She had to have been scared out of her mind. Our daughter, Alyssa, who will turn 18 next week is 6 months pregnant right now & is scared of what lies ahead for her. I can't imagine how it would be right before her due date in April if some man pulled up to our house on a donkey & said, "Let's go baby."

Forget the uncomfortable ride Joseph offered Mary, he took her away from her support group~her family. I know as a Grandma-to-be I'd be crushed if my 1st born moved away. I wonder how Mary's mom felt as she watched her pregnant teen ride off into the sunset with Joseph? I wonder if this is the thing that brought Mary's mom closer to God? I know my daughter's unexpected pregnancy has done that for me . I'm sure there was a lot of crying, but seems to me that faith outweighed the fallen tears.

Lord, You are beyond awesome. I thank You for choosing such a willing hearted servant such as Mary to give birth to your Son. Thank You for knowing just when to create me. You know how I can't stand getting dirt in my flip flops in the summer time. You know how much I loved being pampered by the nurses in the hospital after giving birth to my 3 kids. You know I'm a "take 2 showers a day" type of gal, so Lord thank you for making me now & not then.

Dirty sandals, a donkey, river water and wrapping my baby up in swaddling clothes after giving birth instead of the nurses doing it for me...just not my cup of tea.

Somehow, I guess you knew that.

 

~Many Blessings~

Lelia