friend

Today's Advent devotional from Tearfund is from Luke 1:36 "And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth concieved a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren and here she is six months pregnant!" (the message) Mary is young, alone and terrified and what could be better than to have someone to share her struggles with? When we are facing the hardest things, God is gracious to provide us with friends. I love this thought and I really love how the Lord has provided for me in this exact way--thru the giving and recieving of friendship. Here's Mary; Joseph hasn't denied her, but we can imagine that what she is going thru is not an easy thing to understand or explain- esp to a soon-to-be husband of whom she has probably never even been alone with. In those days, you weren't alone with a man until you were married to him. Maybe the chaperone was at a great enough distance so that Mary and Joseph could have a good talk--but holding each other was probably not an option. Have you ever desperately needed to be held by someone, yet weren't really sure who that someone might be? Or perhaps that someone was not able to understand? Or was simply not available? HOw wonderful of the Father to gently nudge Mary in the perfect direction. He has done that for me. Right about the time I'm ready to give up, a friend will call, or someone's email or txt will pop up reminding me that I'm not alone. Tho my husband is the love of my life, there are times that he simply doesn't understand, and I just need my girlfriends. If we look at Elizabeth we can see someone in need of a friend, as well. Mary goes to her and verse 41- "when Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby in her womb leaped. She was filled with the Holy Spirit and sang out exuberantly" O yes, Elizabeth greatly encouraged Mary, but Mary's visit blessed Elizabeth beyond measure- she was filled with the Holy Spirit. Yes, God is gracious to provide us with friends. But He also uses our weakness to strengthen the hearts of those we might cling to. When the Father is nudging us to reach out to one another, but in our pride we chose to 'be strong', maybe we are denying a friend the opportunity they need for their own heart to be strengthened. Here in this season of Hope, we know that the Hope of the world holds us-let us also remember that "His strength is made perfect in our weakness." 2 Cor 12:9 Have a very MARY Christmas!