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Mary's Song


And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. (Luke 1:46-47)
          Thinking this morning about what Mary faced, and how she faced it, especially in light of what I face and how I am facing it. Granted, Mary sang her song before she faced months of ridicule and rejection. I’m not facing ridicule and rejection. The situations are not really analogous except that they are both emotionally difficult. 
        This past week has thrown me into a tailspin. I guess every step down with Dad does and most of that is because I don’t know what to do. Things I think I should do involve decisions that I feel guilty about making or cooperation from him that I’m not sure I can get. I’m not writing for pity, I’m giving you two examples: one of a crisis handled well, and the other of a crisis handled my way.
          At the moment, I feel like I’m failing miserably. I should be stronger. I should be wiser. I should be praising God and drawing close to Him. I should be being that wonderful, kind, compassionate, considerate, loving, gentle, humble, patient super-Christian who somehow makes Dad’s final days, months or years into this beautiful, intimate time. I have to wonder how often Mary – even after her declaration of rejoicing – felt completely inadequate. I wonder how often she shared my prayer of WDA. I wonder how often I share her attitude of acceptance and don’t even realize it.   
       Father, there are times when we face things we don’t know how to face. We want to be like Mary, glorifying You and rejoicing in You, but what we see is the failure, the fear, and the frustration. In those times, in spite of those feelings, we ask You for the courage to glorify You, and to rejoice in You. We ask You for wisdom, direction and attitude when we feel foolish, lost, and frustrated. You know the way in which we should go. You will bring us through the struggles we face. We praise You because You are worthy, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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