Mary Did You Know?

December 23, 2023
Devotional by: Leslie Ryals

Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Would one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy
Has come to make you new?
This child that you delivered, will soon deliver you

Mary, Did You Know? isn't exactly a hymn, but it is definitely a Christmas song that has been part of my Christmas memories for quite some time. As a teen, I remember singing along with Kenny Rogers & Wynonna Judd's version playing from my grandparent's radio. As I got older, I heard many different renditions, but its meaning grew deeper for me during the Christmas season of 2017. This was a very special season for me and my husband as we were anticipating the birth of our own son the following January. After 13 years of marriage including about two years of IVF, many prayers and the gamut of every possible emotion, we were FINALLY becoming parents. Hearing the words as a mother made me think about Mary even more. Did she really realize how her precious newborn would change the world? What about when she kissed his little face? Did she know what was to come? Mark Lowry penned the lyrics as part of the script for a church Christmas play, and I read that he was asking all the questions he would truly like to ask Mary.

If you are entering this season with the longing and desire to become a mother, please know that you are not alone. I know the journey is different for each mother, but I would be happy to chat with you, listen and cry, or just sit with you, but you are not alone. If you are feeling all the emotions this Christmas season for whatever reason, remember we have the Great Comforter with us.

Peace be with you during this season.