A Rare and Precious Gift

Mother’s Day was last Sunday. A day to celebrate the moms of the world. Happy Mother’s Day to All!

At church, it was very touching to see the celebration of mothers in the Bible. From Eve - the very first Mother - to Mary - the Mother of Jesus - they showed a video and gave out cards that brought forward many types of moms. To see each of these Bible mother’s stories was honestly breathtaking. The video and cards only gave a small, small glimpse into these mothers, but, boy, are their stories, their lifetime influences among people strong and profound. Profound. “From the garden to the cross, there have always been mothers.” I love how the video says that. Moms change us all.

For me, I have the best mom ever. She is now in a nursing home. Like a thief in the night, dementia came and it has changed us all profoundly. But, even though her memory has changed, my Mom is still mom. The cheerleader. The effervescent joy of life. The giver of love. The giver of kindness. The giver of goodness. A true picture of sacrificial love in every way. She is my mom. She is friend. She is the grandmother to all. She is the best person I will ever know in my lifetime; I am sure of that. And for that, I am truly, truly grateful. I could write an entire series of lessons I have learned from my mom. She has made me who I am today, along with my dad. The series would probably take forever, so more on that at another time.

Let’s take a look at moms.

In the video that I saw, the mommas of the Bible were covered, but then, at the very end of the video, it talks about the different types of mothers. Not just the moms who bore us life. Not just the moms who raised us, but also the “moms” who have come alongside us in many, many ways. These women, or people, for lack of a better term - our “spiritual moms” - have breathed life into us in so many ways that we can’t even count. Mary, the mother of our lord, had a “spiritual mom” too.

Let’s take a peek.

If you know the story of when Mary finds out from the angel that she has been highly favored and chosen to deliver the savior of the world, then you know she was completely astounded at the news. She is completely taken aback and in absolute disbelief. In today’s terms, she was “freaking out”.

Here is how Luke tells the story.

Luke 1:26-38

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[a] the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

The story continues from here and Mary asks her parents to allow her to go and see her cousin Elizabeth. Many of you may know who Elizabeth is, but let’s pause a moment to reflect.

Elizabeth was married to the priest, Zechariah. For them, no children had come. Elizabeth was in her old age and she had yet to enjoy the blessing of being a mother. An angel came to Zechariah and proclaimed that they, even in their old age, they would have a son. You may know the rest. Zechariah questioned God. “How can this be”, he said to the angel. For his unbelief, he was struck mute and could no longer speak. I don’t know about you, but I would have been mute right along with Zechariah. How often do I question God? Too much, if I am being honest, but that too is a story for another time.

Well, Zechariah couldn’t speak, but his wife did indeed conceive a son, John. You know him as John the Baptist. And he, like his cousin, would indeed change the world. If you know the story at all, when Mary went to see Elizabeth, Mary speaks not a word and yet Elizabeth proclaims over her the most amazing of things.

Luke 1:39-45

39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Did you catch that? Elizabeth blessed her. She not only blessed her, but she comforted her with her words. Mary, in the middle of her “freaking out”, receives words and actions that are like a healing salve to her soul.

Elizabeth says to her, “Mary, you are blessed. You are highly favored. You have believed the Lord.” And then - what does Mary do? Mary begins to sing. SING!!! Her heart is so blessed and so comforted that she begins to sing a hymn of old. All fear has gone. Peace has come.

Now, you’re thinking, what's the point? I hear you. Here it is.

Do you have an Elizabeth or two in your life? You know, the “Spiritual Mom/mentor” who will bless you or calm you with simple words. The one you can call, at any time, and ask for comfort. For prayer. For time face-to-face.

What role did Elizabeth play here? Why was her role in the story of Jesus so pivotal, so important? Here’s why:

Elizabeth took a scared, frightened teenager and blessed her. She blessed her in words and actions. From simply being around Elizabeth, from simply enjoying Elizabeth’s love, guidance, comfort, and praise, three months later Mary returns home a grown woman, as ready as she can be, to deliver the savior of the world. 

Can you imagine? Goodness, there is just no way to imagine it. Life was upside down for Mary and yet with her “spiritual mom” blessing her. Taking care of her. Speaking life to her, Mary became ready for the next chapter of life.

“Spiritual Moms/mentors” are just that important. They love us. Speak life to us. Sometimes even take care of us to help us grow from one chapter of our life to the next. In reality, they often feed us both body and soul.

For me, I have several “spiritual moms”. These women have literally saved me. As with any life, my life has not been without tremendous hurt. Some self-inflicted. Some that came out of the blue, fully unanticipated. And these women have prayed for me. Taken care of me. Prayed for my husband. Prayed for my girls. Prayed over and over and over. 

They have loved me in my ugly self. They have loved me in my beautiful self. They have spoken words of encouragement over me. Over my kids. Over my family. They have helped me navigate loss. They have helped me navigate job changes. They have helped me navigate times when I didn’t think I could get out of bed.

I know. It’s not really them. It’s Jesus in them. But what I love about these women, is that they have been willing vessels of Jesus to share love with me. To share truth with me. To share a word of wisdom with me. To share the honest, messy bits of who I am with me. They have been so willing to share Jesus with me over and over again. Gosh, am I blessed. <3

And all along the way in my life, my lord has met me in every spot. He’s taken care of me. Comforted me. Spoken life into my hurting soul.

Do you know the old hymn - IT IS WELL? I’ve always loved that song. If you know the story behind this song, you understand the utter loss this man experienced and yet he wrote the hauntingly beautiful words: 

“When peace like a river attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

It is well with my soul.”

In his utter loss, he still wrote about how the Lord has taught him to say - “It is Well.”

No, my life is not perfect. I don't have it altogether. I have hurts happening in my life as I type, but I know the one who holds me. I know the earthly ones who hold me and pray over me. And I know “It is Well with my soul” just because HE lives.

So, what’s the point? You may already have some “Elizabeths” in your life. Celebrate that! Text them immediately and say thank you for just being there for you. If not, go find you some Elizabeths. Some guys, girls, young, old, mature, just maturing - Elizabeth-like people who will bless you. Be there for you. Speak life over you. Pray for you. Speak truth to you and love you unconditionally, just like our Savior. These Elizabeth-like people, my friends, are like a Christian village where the people come around and surround you with wisdom, life, and love. A village where you are blessed beyond measure. What a beautiful place to be.

Til next time!

XO - Blessings - Nikki

And a shoutout to Crossroads Church - Norfolk - and Cheryl for this inspiration.

CHECK THESE OUT:

Video - Mothers of the Bible

Mothers of the Bible | Igniter Media | Mother's Day Church Video - YouTube

Original “It is Well” song version

It Is Well With My Soul ~ Chris Rice ~ lyric video - YouTube

Story behind the Song

It Is Well With My Soul: The Story Behind the Hymn - Horatio Spafford - YouTube

A gorgeous modern song that uses “It is Well” in the lyrics

It Is Well (Lyric Video) - Kristene DiMarco | You Make Me Brave - YouTube