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Full Circle
by Dr. Sharon Schuetz Mary always knew this day would come, but she was still unprepared for it. How can anyone prepare for this insanity? The vacillating crowd, followed him with cheers and applause one day, and the next cursed him with the rebellious shouts of the damned. She remembered standing at the edge of the crowd staring in disbelief at the three bodies. This was senseless! Why did it happen? Surely, the other two deserved this. After all, they were thieves; but Jesus did nothing to merit this sentence. In the darkness, Mary rested her exhausted form on her mat as her mind flew back over the six months since he has been gone. So much has changed. His followers are in hiding most of the time. They come out boldly, preaching his message during the day, but at night, they hide among the new converts. Jesus made many enemies while he lived here. In death, he had attracted more. The stories and the lies they concocted afterwards to justify his appearance to the multitudes was only the beginning. A slight smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she remembered her little boy running across the marketplace to tell her of his latest revelation. So young, and yet so much wisdom. God revealed many secrets to this child He had entrusted into her care. Softly touching his curls Mary gazed into the dark eyes that danced with such merriment. His smile never changed. She could see the same smile the last time he visited her. He still looked to her like the same little boy who was so eager to share God's truths with her. As Mary lay on her mat, her mind rushed in many directions. Part of her struggled with inexpressible grief. Losing Jesus was the most difficult experience she ever had since the death of her beloved Joseph years earlier. Another part of her rejoiced in knowing Jesus would never be hurt again. Through his death, he had won his battle and the struggle for himself and all who would follow him. The hardest part of all of this is accepting that he is no longer her son; he now her Savior. He is no longer the little boy with curls. Nor is he the young man who came to her so often for guidance. He had fulfilled His Father's plan for his life, and now he sits at His right hand. Mary lay in the dark remembering her long battle. She thought on the day an angel told her she would bear God's Son. He entrusted His plans into her care. She was so overwhelmed that God would want her for such responsibility and honor. She had loved Jesus, protected him, taught him, and guided him for most of her life. She had to remind herself frequently that he was never actually hers. He belongs to humanity. He came with a goal and death was part of the plan. Now she understood the price God paid when He placed Jesus into her womb. How it must have broken His heart to send him to such a hostile place. Their relationship had changed, too. He no longer belonged only to His Father. He now belonged to the world. Dr. Schuetz is an ordained minister and has been in ministry with her husband for twenty-five years. She has a PhD in clinical Christian counseling. She and her husband, Michael, of 33 years have 2 sons, 1 daughter, 9 grandchildren. 2008 by Dr. Sharon Schuetz www.DrSharonSchuetz.com Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |