Day 7 childbirth

We know the 'story'.  But today we stop for a minute to put ourselves into the scene and imagine what it might have been like. 

Mary is a young girl. First pregnancy.  As far as we know she has no immediate family around her. She has presumably suffered the ignominy of people having worked out that her baby is coming rather too soon.  But Joseph has stood by her and her time for delivery is fast approaching.  She has been nesting.  She has been sewing and cleaning and Joseph has made a cradle for the baby.  Mary has been having twinges and braxton hicks contractions.  Its all exciting but terrifying. But there is a promise attached to this baby.  He is going to survive birth.  Mary might not, the angels didnt say anything about that and childbirth was so very dangerous back then.  But the baby would be born. So that was something to hold onto.

According to professor Google between a quarter and a third of all infants born in Roman times died in their first year. And half, thats HALF of all children born, died before the age of 10. Just let that sink in. Think of your own kids. How many would still be alive if they had been born in Jesus day?

Its been estimated that between 5 and 20 women per 1,000 died in childbirth during these times.  So Mary would very probably have known or heard the stories of local women who had not survived.  Giving birth was risky and no doubt terrifying.  But Mary had been ordered by an angel not to fear.

My guess is that in the moments she felt fear lurking and whispering that she remembered the awesome visitation, the command and the promise, and held on tight to the word of God spoken to her.

What has God spoken to you that you need to rehearse and re-visit and put front and foremost even in the face of daunting real life circumstances? You quite possibly havent experienced an angelic visitation. But you have definitely received a promise. Hundreds of promises. 

Why is it that we let the voice of fear speak more loudly and insistently than the word of God?

Stop.  Reset. Change.

Yes, you can.


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