Was Mary a Good Mom to Jesus?

Image by Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay 

At times, we mothers wonder if we're good mothers 

to our children.

Mary, mother to Jesus, must have thought about that, too. 

The Scripture says she pondered many things in her heart.

Bringing up a child is complicated, but the Son of God?

That was quite a challenge.

She must have wondered if she was doing it right.

Mary once lost Jesus when He was twelve years old. He'd 

stayed in Jerusalem and she didn't know it. 

If a mom did that today, she'd be arrested for child negligence.

And why is the child in the picture uncovered? Everyone else appears warm. Another case of negligence? In most nativity scenes, the baby looks cold. 

Everyone  has on layered garments. Poor baby. 

Why didn't Mary cover the child with more blankets?

Scripture says she wrapped Him in swaddling cloths. 

Interesting attire, right? So the depiction is wrong. Mary

wrapped Jesus properly.

By the way, what in the crazy world is swaddling

cloths?  Here's the answer. They were long strips

of cloth and mothers wound them tightly around them

the baby. 

Changing a diaper wasn't easy.

Mary was a human mom with an unusual baby. She must

have prayed for guidance daily. I'm guessing she doubted

herself at times, but she was an amazing mother.

Mary was a human mom with an unusual baby. She must 

have prayed for guidance daily. I'm guessing she doubted

herself at times, but she was an amazing mother.

It’s okay to doubt as a mom, after all,

you are a human rearing a child of God by an earthly father.

 Faith and Humor

Joseph, the Stepdad

As the afternoon sun began to sink behind my house a few days ago, I glanced across the street to see my neighbor's Nativity scene.

Wow!

The cut-out figure of the walking man shone brightly and sparkled. As the light caught this portrayal of Joseph, I thought about the enormity of Joseph's job.

In the depiction, Mary cuddles with the unborn Jesus. Over the rough and rocky journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, a distance of some 90 miles, the trio traveled. The duo are married, but their union hasn't been consummated, and the baby has yet to arrive. Mary and Joseph will become one flesh much later.

Mary is the mother, but Joseph is the chosen caregiver. The Protector. The unselfish Provider. A man of faith who is willing to accept responsibility for circumstances he had no previous control over. 

He knows the child isn't his, and yet he assumes the role to care for and nurture Mary's child, God's Son.

Joseph reminds me of the many men who do this today. They step up to the role of stepdad. Like Joseph, some of these men do it before a child is born. Others create a family to existing children. These men love, shoulder the guardianship, and provide for kiddos they didn't create.

Quite often, they don't receive any acclaim. They go unnoticed.

They merely consent willingly to their job.

And most do the stepdad role well.

Thank God for the Josephs in this world.

Faith and humor