Mary’s Transformation

All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. Acts 1:14

The suffering of our children changes us.

 

The last time we saw Mary, she was standing at the foot of the cross, watching a mother’s worst nightmare. Her beloved Son, the Firstborn who made her a mother, was dying.

When Jesus saw the mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. John 19:26-27

But Jesus rose again. He conquered death and all the trauma surrounding it. Mary could not have understood this as she witnessed the cruel abuse of her beloved son, the horrific crucifixion of the one she knew was the holy Son of the Most High God.

Mary knew who Jesus was before he was born. God confided in her the truth about the child she would bear. She had the high honor of knowing the end before the beginning.

God is still in the business of confiding in mothers. While children are yet in the womb, He whispers purpose into the hearts of their mothers. As they grow and move in the secret place, He names them. As they nestle in their mothers’ arms, He murmurs truth about who they are. This knowledge is too wonderful for us, too high. We are mere mothers. But we are entrusted with holy secrets about the beautiful lives we steward for a few short years.

Mary carried these secrets with her for 33 years. Over time, she saw them manifest before her eyes. She watched as others discovered the secret of who her child was. From some, she witnessed acceptance and worship, from others, mockery. Her journey with Jesus was a constant tug between holding on to the truth she knew and letting go of the growing young man who was the Truth incarnate. He had to walk His own path, the path of His Father’s will. Mary could not impose her path upon Him.

We cannot impose our paths upon our children.

 

For Mary, her Son’s path was also her path of transformation and redemption. In this way, her very transformation and redemption depended on her releasing control, letting Him walk the way of suffering.

We do not want our children to suffer. But sometimes, suffering leads to transformation.

 

Had she argued with Him, held Him back, chosen her superior knowledge of how best to do what God had destined Him to do, it would not have resulted in redemption. If Mary had clung to control, redemption would have been impossible.

When we release control, we make room for the redemptive power of God in our children’s lives.

 

Jesus pressed forward, intently focused on the path He was called to walk. 

Mary had to wrangle with the hard truth that she was a vessel of the Lord, an instrument chosen to bear into the world the Savior of the world. But she was not in charge of her son’s destiny. She could not choose how He saved the world, how He went about fulfilling the purpose for which she bore Him.

There is only one path to God, through Jesus Christ. But there are many paths to Jesus. Our child’s path may not be the one we would choose. But it is our child’s path, and we can pray for Jesus to preserve and protect it.

 

What Mary did not comprehend as a young, pregnant virgin was that the child she carried was set upon doing for her exceedingly, abundantly more than she could ask or imagine. Her destiny was inextricably woven with His, and her redemption would come from His death.

The plans God has for us and our children are exceedingly, abundantly more than we could ask or imagine.

 

At the dawn of Acts, we see Mary transformed. She is not a passive member of the group of disciples gathered after Jesus’ ascension. She is not a mere old lady sitting by and serving the men because now one of them is responsible for her. 

Mary was in community. Community is where healing happens. Mary was healing from trauma, ensconced in a community that cared for her. No one in the group understood why it had to happen this way. Sorrow and joy clashed in their hearts. But they knew Jesus was who He always said He was, and that He had returned to the Father. So they knelt in a posture of trust and expectancy. 

Mary was in one accord with them, witnesses together to the Truth she only knew in part 33 years earlier. Now, Mary sees clearly that her son, her precious son, is her Savior. The high and holy word proclaimed to her by the angel has now become an up-close, personal word, shocking in its intimacy. Her son’s suffering has accomplished her personal redemption.

Mary is now devoted to prayer and has become part of the mighty band that God will use to establish His church.

We are stewards of our children for a short time. The training years are like a wind that blows for only a while, impossible to grasp by the hand. The stillness of an empty house comes all too soon. For some, the path is wrought with pain. 

We have the privilege of having seen these beautiful ones grow from thought to conception, to walking, breathing new life. We have the honor of watching our children grow into their purpose.

Growth comes through breaking. Through suffering. A shedding of the old and a taking on of the new. We must release our children to their paths, and our hearts to the One who confided in us who they were meant to be.

We shouldn’t attempt this alone. We need community to help us make sense of the ways it didn’t turn out as we expected. We need others’ hands and hearts to hold us as we grieve, let go, and heal from hurts along the way. Our new season is a devotion to prayer.

Mary’s transformation came through suffering. The tables have turned.

Mary, once the steward of the Son of God, is now being stewarded by Him. In His risen glory, He is now her Lord. #motherhood Share on X

She who was the first to know the secret purpose of the Son of the Most High is now being given new purpose by Him.

Mary’s transformation continued her whole life long until she saw Him once again, face to face.

Mothering fills us with purpose and then transforms us. Mary’s transformation is yours, and mine.

Lord, I release control to you today. Manifest your power and redemption in my child’s life and transform me. Amen.

@audreycfrank

Photo by Boudewijn Huysmans on Unsplash