Advent 2018 Day 11, – “Rough”
We’re reminded today that the rough ways will be made smooth. And while I complain a lot about vehicle traffic in my area, I don’t think enough about how life must have been for a pregnant woman traveling to deliver her child. The 200 bed hospital near my home where my son was born is a magical place compared to a barn and a manger. How much must a woman have hurt and ached throughout her pregnancy two thousand years ago? A labor of love in any era is even more poignant without modern conveniences.
Mary, the mother of God, is often pictured in clean robes in good repair. When shown, the face below her perfectly coiffed hair or scarf is unblemished. That’s a little too much smoothing in portraying what must have been a remarkable childbirth, as they all are, but more so because of the conditions.
What must it be like to walk hundreds of miles while pregnant or with a child in the hopes that the next place will be more welcoming? And then arriving only to learn that there is no room at the inn, no welcome at the border, only barbed wire and soldiers keeping you out?
Traffic isn’t so bad when I realize that I go to a church, a job, stores, and visit friends of my own choosing while traveling in comfort.
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.”